DURANT, Okla. – Behind Tirrell Brown's 29 points, the Ouachita Tigers defeated the Southeastern Oklahoma State Savage Storm, 76-64, on Thursday. The win was Ouachita's 10^th straight, the longest streak for the Tigers since the 2003-04 season.
 
Ouachita (12-8, 12-2 GAC) posted a field-goal percentage of 45.2 percent, despite netting just 5-21 from three-point range, the Tigers' lowest three-point percentage in the Great American Conference game this season. The Tigers netted 59.5 percent of shots inside the three-point line.
 
Brown gave the Tigers the first lead of the game on a layup assisted by Lakee Westbrook on Ouachita's first possession. The first half featured nine lead changes, with neither team able to reach of lead of more than four points.
 
With 1:53 until halftime, Southeastern Oklahoma State (7-13, 5-9 GAC) took a 26-25 lead, and the Savage Storm held the lead until Brown tied the game at 29 with a jumper in the paint. After a missed three by Southeastern, the first half ended in a tie.
 
Brown led all scorers with 15 points in the half, and he led the Tigers with six rebounds. Westbrook followed with eight points and five boards. The Tigers were 0-8 from behind the arc, but converted on 11-14 free-throws.
 
Southeastern Oklahoma State took the first lead of the second half, but four consecutive points from Brown gave the Tigers a 33-31 lead, and Ouachita did not surrender the lead back to the Storm for the remainder of the contest. The Tigers grabbed their largest lead of the contest with 1:02 to play, after Brown's free-throw put Ouachita ahead 73-58.
 
Brown led all scorers again in the half, scoring 14 points on 5-8 shooting from the field. He also grabbed a game-high six rebounds in the half. David Berete added second-half 11 points. As a team, Ouachita's shooting greatly improved from the first half to the second. The Tigers netted half of their shots from the floor in the final 20 minutes, including 4-10 from deep.
 
The Tigers were able to pull away from Southeastern behind 16 second-chance points off of Ouachita's 13 offensive rebounds. Ouachita also added 14 points off of the Storm's 14 turnovers. In points in the paint, the Tigers outscored Southeastern 34-12.
 
Along with 29 points, Brown recorded 12 rebounds to earn his third double-double of the season. Brown was 10-17 from the field and 9-11 from the charity stripe. In two games against the Savage Storm this season, Brown is averaging 30 points and 13 rebounds.
 
Berete finished with 13 points and four rebounds in 26 minutes, followed by Westbrook with 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Mahlon Martin also added seven points off the bench for Ouachita.
 
With the win, the Tigers are currently in sole possession of first place in the Great American Conference standings. Ouachita will remain in Oklahoma through the weekend for its next conference match against East Central Oklahoma. The game is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 6, at 3 p.m. in Ada, Okla.