ARKADELPHIA, Ark. - The Ouachita Tigers' men's basketball team defeated Southwestern Oklahoma State by a final of 80-62 on Saturday in Bill Vining Arena. Justin McCleary led the Tigers with a season-high 28 points and Carven Holcolmbe registered a double-double, scoring 15 while grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds. The Tigers improved to 6-4 on the season and moved into a five-way tie for third in the Great American conference standings at 4-2. 

Ouachita opened the first half by scoring the first 13 points of the game. Lakee Westbrook scored six of those 13 points. Southwestern Oklahoma State answered with a 10-0 run, cutting the Tigers lead to three with 11:07 left in the first half. The teams exchanged three-point baskets over their next two possessions and Ouachita called a 30-second timeout up 19-16 with 10 minutes left in the first. McCleary drained a deep three-ball coming out of the timeout and Holcolmbe followed with a bucket inside to put the Tigers up by eight. Ouachita would lead by as many as 15 in the first half but the Bulldogs chipped away and cut the deficit to seven by halftime. 

Up 37-30 to start the second half, Ouachita extended their lead to 14 in the opening three minutes. McCleary hit two threes during the stretch for the Tigers. The defense held SWOSU to only 13 points in the first ten minutes of the second period while scoring 21 on the other end of the court. The Tigers shot 45 percent from the three-point line in the second half while holding SWOSU to 1-12 on three-point attempts in the half. McCleary scored 19 of his 28 points in the second period while Holcolmbe scored seven and pulled down seven rebounds. Mahlon Martin also scored seven for the Tigers in the second period.