ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Ouachita's men's basketball team moved back into a tie for first place in the Great American Conference with a 95-88 win over the Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers on Thursday. Five players scored in double-digits for the Tigers, with Tirrell Brown scoring a team-high 24.
 
Brown gave Ouachita (16-11, 16-5 GAC) the first lead on a layup 12 seconds into the contest. The Tigers held the lead for over seven minutes, but Northwestern Oklahoma State (9-16, 9-12 GAC) tied the score at 17 with 12:13 until halftime and then took a three-point lead on the Ranger's next possession.
 
The Rangers claimed their largest lead of seven twice in the first half, but a 7-0 run by Ouachita tied the game 26-26. The Tigers later took the lead on a free-throw by Carven Holcolmbe and kept the lead until the first half ended with the Tigers ahead 44-40.
 
Ouachita posted a field-goal percentage of 56.7 percent in the half, compared to Northwestern's 48.5 percent. The Tigers outscored the Rangers 24-18 in the paint, with Brown scoring a team-high 11 points on 4-5 shooting from the floor. Holcolmbe and Lakee Westbrook each added nine points in the half.
 
Northwestern opened the second half with five straight points to take a 45-44 lead, but Ouachita answered with a 9-2 run to take a six-point lead with 17:03 to play. A minute later, Justin McCleary knocked down a jumper that sparked a 13-1 run by the Tigers that ended with a layup by Brown to give Ouachita a 62-50 lead.
 
The Rangers climbed back, however, and eventually took a two-point lead with 4:31 to go. The final six minutes of the contest featured eight lead changes, but the Tigers took the final lead on a layup by David Berete to give Ouachita an 89-88 lead. The Tigers then knocked down 4-4 free-throws to secure the seven-point win.
 
In the second half, Ouachita missed only nine shots from the field to earn a field-goal percentage of 69 percent. Brown led the way with 13 points on 6-7 shooting, followed by McCleary with 12 and Berete with 11.
 
For the game, Brown missed just two shots to record his ninth 20-point game of the season. He also grabbed four rebounds and dished out four assists. Berete recorded 19 points and eight rebounds, and McCleary scored a total of 17 points in the win, while adding six rebounds and a team-high six assists. Westbrook and Holcolmbe also scored in double-digits for Ouachita, scoring 15 points and 13 points, respectively. Holcolmbe pulled down a game-high nine boards.
 
With the win, Ouachita moves into a three-way tie for first place in the GAC heading into the final conference game of the season. The Tigers will finish the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 27, as Ouachita hosts Southwestern Oklahoma State. The game in Vining Arena is scheduled for 3 p.m.