ARKADELPHIA, Ark. - The Ouachita Tigers' men's basketball team lost on the road to Arkansas-Monticello on Saturday by a final of 74-69. Lakee Westbrook led the Tigers with 16 points. Carven Holcolmbe scored 1o and grabbed eight rebounds. Aitor Lopez-Breton scored 10 and collected seven rebounds. Despite the loss, the Tigers were able to secure a spot in the upcoming Great American Conference men's basketball tournament in Bartlesville, Okla.  

The Tigers took their first lead of the game with 14:21 to play in the first half. A layup by Jontavis Willis gave Ouachita an 11-10 lead. Westbrook followed with a three pointer to increase the lead to four. A three pointer from Mahlon Martin put the Tigers back up, 17-15 and started a 12-3 run for Ouachita. The Tigers led 26-18 with 7:10 to play in the half. A jumper by Westbrook with just over a minute to play gave the Tigers a nine-point lead, their largest of the half. They went into halftime leading by seven, 36-29.

Ouachita held their lead for the first 11 minutes of the second half, but UAM gradually began chipping away and taking advantage of turnovers. With 8:20  to play, UAM's Cobe Goosby put the Weevils up 52-51 for their first lead since the first half. A 12-5 run by UAM gave them a 64-56 lead with 3:45 to play. A three by Isaiah Harper would get the Tigers within one with 1:13 to play, but Ouachita couldn't close the gap. A UAM three and a pair of made free throws would give the Weevils the win and drop the Tigers to 12-12 overall and 10-10 in GAC play.

The Tigers will travel to Weatherford, Okla. next Thursday, Feb. 23 to face Southwestern Oklahoma State. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.