MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Despite 21 points from Justin McCleary and Tirrell Brown, the Ouachita Tigers lost their fifth Great American Conference game on Saturday, falling to the Southern Arkansas Muleriders, 84-74. With the loss, the Tigers fall to second place in the GAC.
 
Southern Arkansas (14-12, 11-9 GAC) held the lead for the first seven minutes of the contest, but a 13-2 run by the Tigers allowed Ouachita (15-11, 15-5 GAC) to take a 21-15 lead with 8:10 until halftime. The Muleriders took the lead back with just over three minutes remaining in the first half, but Ouachita outscored Southern Arkansas 8-2 in the final minutes of the period.
 
The Tigers netted 46.2 percent of their field goals in the half while holding the Muleriders to just 38.7 percent. David Berete led all scorers with nine points in the half, followed by Tirrell Brown with eight. Lakee Westbrook added two points, three assists and two rebounds.
 
In the second half, Ouachita extended its lead to double-digits, claiming its largest lead of 11 twice. The Muleriders hung around, however, and eventually took their first lead of the second half after a 13-2 run put Southern Arkansas ahead 59-58 with 7:31 to play. The Tigers took the lead back on the next possession, but with 5:32 left in the contest Southern Arkansas took the final lead on a free-throw to put the Muleriders ahead, 64-63.
 
Ouachita pulled within five points on three occasions in the final two minutes, but 21-25 shooting from the free-throw line by the Muleriders allowed Southern Arkansas to secure the win. The Tigers netted half of their shots in the period, but the Muleriders were able to convert on 64.3 percent of their field goals. The Muleriders also outscored Ouachita 18-8 on points off turnovers in the half.
 
McCleary scored a game-high 18 points in the second half, on 7-10 shooting from the floor. Brown followed with 13 points, netting 6-8 field goals.
 
For the game, both teams were over 48 percent from the field, but the Muleriders added 13 more points off turnovers and 10 more second-chance points. The Tigers were out-rebounded 39-25 in the loss, allowing 15 offensive rebounds.
 
The Tigers will return to Bill Vining Arena for the final two games of the regular season. Ouachita's next contest will be on Thursday, Feb. 25, as the Tigers host Northwestern Oklahoma State. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.