SEARCY, Arkansas – The Ouachita men's basketball team dropped a road match that came down to the final seconds, falling 83-78 to Harding University Saturday night.
Ouachita (6-11, 4-8 GAC) struck first, taking a 10-6 lead over Harding (8-10, 5-7 GAC) over the first three minutes of the game. The Tigers led by as much as five points in the first half, controlling the pace of the game until the 6:54 mark when the Bisons tied the game at 27-27 and then proceeded to take the lead moments later. Ouachita took back the lead with four-and-a-half minutes to go, but Harding answered back to regain its advantage. The Tigers stuck with the Bisons, trailing by just a single point, 42-41, at halftime.
The second half saw the Tigers stay with the Bisons enough to keep it close, but Ouachita could not get over the hump and retake the lead. Harding tried to extend its lead, going up as much as nine points, but the Tigers kept closing the gap. Ouachita brought the score within one point on three separate occasions in the second half, the final instance was with 13 seconds remaining. But free throws from the Bisons in the final seconds sealed the game and Ouachita fell by the score of 83-78 on the road.
Terran Williams found himself at the top of the box score, leading all scorers with a career-high 27 points. Williams has now scored 23-plus points in three of his last four games. The junior was also second on the team in rebounding with six.
Emorie Knox was next with 16 points, followed by
Tylar Haynes with 13 and
Reggie Martin with 10. Martin led the team with four assists.
MJ Leslie led the Tigers with seven rebounds.
The Tigers will be back in action on Thursday, February 1 as they travel to Bethany, Oklahoma to take on the Crimson Storm of Southern Nazarene University. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
