ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The Ouachita Tigers won their ninth straight game on Saturday, defeating the Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm 82-72. Tirrell Brown led all scorers with 21 points in 23 minutes, and Carven Holcolmbe tied a career high with 16 points.
 
Ouachita (11-8, 11-2 GAC) posted its worst three-point shooting percentage in a Great American Conference game this season, but outscored the Storm 36-18 in the paint. The Tigers also received 16 points from the bench.
 
Lakee Westbrook scored on a layup on Ouachita's first possession of the contest, and the Tigers held their lead for the first 10 minutes of the first half. Southern Nazarene (8-11, 7-6 GAC) finally took the lead, however on a 10-2 run that lasted over four minutes.
 
The final 10 minutes of the half featured six lead changes, until Ouachita took a 25-18 lead on an 8-0 run. The Tigers then held a lead of at least five for the final 3:36, as Ouachita led 34-26 at the break.
 
Holcolmbe led Ouachita with eight points in the half, followed with Westbrook and Justin McCleary, who scored six each.
 
In the second half, the Tigers maintained their lead until the Storm tied the score at 38 with 15:44 to play. A 9-2 run allowed Southern Nazarene to finally take a 51-47 lead, but Ouachita eventually took the lead back on a 10-1 run that featured four points from Holcolmbe.
 
The Tigers kept their lead for the final 8:11 of the contest, claiming their largest lead of 11 points at five different points in the game. Ouachita posted a 53.3 percent field-goal percentage in the second half, while holding the Storm to just 43.8 percent from the floor.
 
Brown took over in the second half, scoring 16 points on 7-9 shooting from the floor. Holcolmbe added eight points on 3-4 shooting and David Berete recorded seven points and four assists.
 
For the game, Berete followed Brown and Holcolmbe with 11 points, a season-high seven assists and six boards. Westbrook was just 1-9 from the floor but scored 10 points, including 8-8 from the free-throw line, to go with a team-high seven rebounds. Jordan Corbitt recorded seven points, six assists and five rebounds off the bench.
 
Ouachita's nine-game win streak is tied for the longest since the 2003-04 season. The Tigers have posted nine-game win streaks in 2014-15, 2008-09 and 2007-08. In the 2003-04 season, Ouachita recorded a 13-game win streak.
 
The Tigers will be on the road for their next three games, beginning on Thursday, Feb. 4, with Southeastern Oklahoma State. The game in Durant, Okla. is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.