STEPHENVILLE, Texas - The Ouachita Tigers fell to 1-5 on the season on Saturday, as the Tarleton State Texans defeated Ouachita 88-71 in a non-conference battle. The Texans are ranked second in the Division II NABC Coaches Poll. 

Jordan Corbitt knocked down a three-pointer on the first shot of the contest, which sparked an 8-2 run by Ouachita to start the first half. The Tigers held the lead for the first seven minutes of the game, until EJ Reed put Tarleton State (5-1) ahead 19-18 on a layup for the Texans' first lead. 

The next three minutes featured four lead changes until a 7-0 run for Tarleton State put the Texans ahead 28-22 with 7:06 to play in the half. The Texans maintained their lead for the rest of the half but did not lead by double-digits until Chantz Chambers' three-pointer gave Tarleton State a 44-34 at the break.

Tirrell Brown led Ouachita (1-5) in scoring with nine points in the first half, and freshman Lakee Westbrook followed with eight points. Reed led the Texans with 14 points, as Tarleton State knocked down 60.9 percent of shots from the field and was 12-13 from the free-throw line. Ouachita posted a 52 percent field-goal percentage, including 71.4 percent from three-point range. 

After Tarleton State claimed a 15-point lead early in the second half, the Jontavis Willis' two free-throws sparked a 10-0 run for the Tigers that ended with a layup by Brown to decrease the Texans' lead to 49-44. Tarleton State was able to jump out to another double-digit lead, however, and held a lead of at least 10 for the rest of the game. 

The Tigers were unable to comeback from the halftime deficit due to a second-half shooting percentage of only 27.3 percent. Brown led Ouachita with 10 points in the half but was 4-11 from the field. Westbrook followed with seven points, shooting 1-6 from the field and 4-4 from the charity stripe. 

For the game, the Texans posted a 58.3 percent field-goal percentage, while the Tigers were only 37.9 percent from the floor. Ouachita did convert on 19-21 free-throws in the contest, however, and out-rebounded the Texans 30-27, including 14 offensive rebounds that led to 15 second-chance points. The Tigers also forced 14 turnovers that resulted in 20 points off turnovers. 

Brown scored a team-high 19 points in the loss to Tarleton State and also led the Tigers with six rebounds. Westbrook followed with 15 points, and David Berete added 10. 

The Tigers will stay at home for their next game, as Ouachita hosts Southeastern Oklahoma State on Thursday, Dec. 3. The game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Bill Vining Arena.