RUSSELLVILLE, Arkansas – The Ouachita Baptist University men's basketball team opened the Great American Conference portion of its schedule on Thursday night with a 72-54 loss to Arkansas Tech on the road.

The largest lead in the first half was four on a pair of free throws by Kendarious Smith to put the Tigers (1-5, 0-1 GAC) up 22-18 with 2:25 on the clock. The Wonder Boys (3-3, 1-0 GAC) scored four unanswered to close out the half with a 22-all tie.

Tech scored first in the second half and did not trail until the 11:54 mark, following a 6-0 run by the Tigers capped by a three-pointer from Ma'Darius Hobson.

The Wonder Boys began to pull away midway through the second half, and earned the first double-digit lead of the game at the 7:44 mark following a 12-0 run. Hobson scored a quick five points to cut the deficit back down to single digits.

Tech outscored Ouachita 14-2 in the final four minutes to seal the win.

Smith led the Tigers with 17 points and five rebounds. Hobson totaled 15 points off the bench.