ARKADELPHIA, Ark. - The Ouachita Tigers' men's basketball team overcame a seven point first-half deficit to defeat Southwestern Oklahoma State, 88-85 in Weatherford, Okla. on Thursday. The Tigers improved to 13-12 overall and 11-10 in the GAC. Justin McCleary led the Tigers with 28 points, followed by Lakee Westbrook's 18 points. Carven Holcolmbe scored nine and grabbed nine rebounds.

Ouachita's Justin McCleary led Ouachita with 20 points in the first half. He was 6-10 from the floor and 4-6 from beyond the arc. Isaiah Harper was a perfect 2-2 from the floor, including one three-pointer, in the first half. The Tigers shot 53 percent from the floor in the first half, but the Bulldogs were even better, shooting 55 percent from the floor and a blistering 60 percent from the three-point line. SWOSU hit 12-20 three-pointers in the first half and carried a 50-43 lead into halftime.

The Tigers' defense tightened up in the second half, holding SWOSU to a 38 percent second-half field goal percentage. A three-pointer from Westbrook pulled the Tigers within one with 14:14 left to play. Mahlon Martin followed with a pair of free throws to give Ouachita its first lead of the second-half, 61-60. There would be eight lead changes over the course of the next nine minutes of play. A pair of free throws by Westbrook gave Ouachita a 77-76 lead. The Tigers would make 19-22 free-throw attempts in the second half and that would be the deciding factor in the win.  

The Tigers will play their final game of the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 25, in Alva, Okla. The tipoff versus Northwestern Oklahoma State is set for 3:00 p.m.