ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The Ouachita Tigers enter the weekend's dual versus Lindenwood University coming off a tough home win over Central Missouri. The Tigers jumped out to an early lead and were able to hang on to a 22-21 win over the Mules.

Head Coach Kevin Ward complimented the resilience of his team's performance.
"Our conditioning was a difference maker. But not just condition, we showed a lot of heart and a lot of fight for the team," said Coach Ward. He added, "Ultimately, we won the dual because we won the third period in a couple matches."

The Tigers took the first three matches to take a 12-0 lead. Nathan Jackson and Garrett Evans won by decision and Nate Rodriguez scored the fall over Andy Robinson of Central Missouri.

Losses by decision and fall at the 141 and 149 pound matches would cut the Tiger lead to 12-9. 157-pounder Bobby Williams responded by scoring a fall in his match to put the Tigers back up by nine.

Heading into the 184-pound match, Central Missouri had tied it up 18-18. 184-pounder Dallas Smith dominated Central Missouri's Josh Ploof to score a major decision and put the Tigers back up by four, 22-18. The margin of victory giving the Tigers a four-point lead, forced Missouri to need a win by major decision or fall in the final match.

197-pounder O'Dell Lee found himself down quickly to Mule Todd Brier. Early in the match, Lee was able to avoid a fall and gradually began scoring points and wearing down Brier. In the third period of the match, Lee would score enough points to get within one of Brier.

Although Brier won the match, O'Dell Lee's late dominance prevented the Mules from scoring a major decision and overtaking the Tiger lead. The Tigers would win 22-21, running their home dual record to 2-0 this season.

Despite the win, the Tigers found themselves dropping in the polls this week from 13^th to 20^th. It's the lowest ranking for the Tigers this season. Coach Ward likes where his team is heading down the stretch.

"If we continue to wrestle as a team and compete hard for our teammates, then good things happen for us," he said. "This is an exciting time of year with a tough schedule, so we have a quick week of practice and then a very tough Lindenwood team comes to town Feb 2.  It will be a good test for us as a team and for several individuals."

The Tigers host Lindenwood this Sunday, February 2, at 2 pm in the Sturgis Physical education Center.