ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The Ouachita Tigers won their sixth straight game on Saturday, defeating the Southern Arkansas Muleriders 84-69 to stay atop the Great American Conference standings.
Tirrell Brown led Ouachita with 21 points in the victory.
Southern Arkansas (9-7, 6-4 GAC) took the first lead of the contest and held the lead for the first 14 minutes of the first half. Ouachita (8-8, 8-2 GAC) finally took the lead with 6:27 until halftime on a 6-0 run. The final five minutes featured four lead changes until a free-throw from the Muleriders sent the teams into the break tied at 34.
The Muleriders took only 20 shots from the field in the half, but were 50 percent from the floor. Ouachita was held to just 39.4 percent from the floor, and the Tigers netted only 3-10 free-throws. Brown scored a game-high 13 points in the half, followed by
Jordan Corbitt, who scored 12 points on 4-5 shooting from three-point range.
The Tigers dominated the second half, starting with a jumper from
Lakee Westbrook that gave Ouachita a 36-34 lead on the first possession. The Muleriders tied the score twice but never could take the lead, and a 14-2 run over the final six minutes by the Tigers gave Ouachita the 15-point win.
Ouachita was 59.4 percent from the floor in the second half and 90 percent from the charity stripe. The Tigers also forced nine, second-half turnovers, giving the Muleriders a total of 21 for the game. Ouachita outscored the Muleriders 26-8 on points off turnovers.
Behind Brown's 21, four other Tigers scored in double-digits. Corbitt followed with 15 on 5-7 shooting, Westbrook scored 13,
David Berete had 12 and
Justin McCleary finished with 10. Brown and Berete tied for a game-high eight rebounds each, and McCleary led the Tigers with seven assists and zero turnovers.
The Tigers are currently in first place in the GAC with one game left in the first half of conference play. During the six-game winning streak, Ouachita has shot 48.9 percent from the field and 44.8 percent from three-point range. The Tigers have also outscored their opponents by an average of 13 points per game during the streak.
Ouachita will return to conference play on Monday, Jan. 25, as the Tigers travel to Monticello, Ark. to take on the University of Arkansas at Monticello. The game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
