ARKADELPHIA – The Ouachita women's basketball team erased an early double-digit deficit and created a back-and-forth game throughout the second and third periods, but Southern Arkansas nearly doubled up the Tigers in fourth to earn a 64-58 victory Thursday night inside Bill Vining Arena.
SAU (6-3, 1-2 GAC) jumped out to a 17-7 lead midway through the first period and ended up outscoring the Tigers (3-3, 0-3 GAC) 23-14 in the first 10 minutes shooting 60 percent from the field.
A quick 7-0 run for the Tigers in the second period put Ouachita on top 32-31 with 2:47 remaining before halftime. However, SAU held the Tigers scoreless the rest of the way to hold a 41-32 lead at the break.
The Tigers outscored the Muleriders 18-8 in the third period to come back to hold a 50-49 heading into the final frame. A basket to start the fourth gave the Tigers their largest lead of the game at three. The Tigers went cold from there, connecting on only three shots the rest of the game and committing six turnovers.
Overall, Ouachita finished the game shooting 45 percent from the field (23-for-51), 45 percent on three-pointers (5-for-11), and 70 percent on foul shots (7-for-10). SAU shot 36 percent from the field (20-for-56), 44 percent on three-pointers (11-for-25), and 72 percent on foul shots (13-for-18).
Ouachita's Madeleine Tipton tied SAU's Addy Tremie for the game-high in scoring with 18 points each. Abbey Harrison added 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Heidi Robinson also reached double-digits with 10 points.
The Tigers are back in action this Saturday on the road against Arkansas-Monticello for a 1 p.m. tipoff.
