SEARCY, Arkansas – The Ouachita men's basketball team went on the road and came back with a big win after taking down the Bisons of Harding University 96-84 Thursday night in the Tigers' final game before the new year.
Ouachita (7-4, 2-3 GAC) struck first in the Tigers' last game before a holiday break, but Harding (7-4, 3-2 GAC) was quick to respond and take an early four-point lead. The Bisons' lead was short lived as the Tigers retook the lead just over a minute later. After a quick five lead changes over 90 seconds of action, Ouachita found its footing and quickly expanded its lead. That Tiger lead hit the double-digit mark before the midway point of the first half. Ouachita led by as much as 15 in the first half before Harding started clawing its way back. The Bisons made it a single-digit difference just before the break and the Tigers went into halftime leading by seven with the score 47-40.
It was Harding that came out strong in the second half, tying the game and taking a lead within the first two minutes of the second half. Opposite to the first half, it was the Bisons that started to take control after a series of small lead changes. Ouachita found itself trailing by seven with 12 minutes remaining. However, just like the first half, the Tigers made quick work of the Bison lead, tying the game within three minutes. After retaking the lead, Ouachita again started to pull away, slowly adding to their lead over the final 10 minutes of action. With 4:27 left on the clock, the Tiger lead hit double digits again and this time it stayed there. Ouachita led by as much as 16 in the final four minutes and cruised to a 12-point, 96-84 victory over Harding.
Shaun Williams led the way with 26 points, 17 of which came in the first half, and shot 60 percent from the field and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. Williams also led the team with six assists and three steals.
Hobert Grayson was second with 20 points. The reigning GAC Offensive Player of the Week also led the team in rebounds with eight and blocks with two.
Reggie Martin was next with 19 points and second in rebounds with six to round out the Tigers with double-digit points.
As a team, the Tigers shot nearly 55 percent from the field and 45 percent from three-point range in the win.
The Tigers will be taking a Christmas break before getting back to action in the new year when they host the Wonder Boys of Arkansas Tech on Saturday, January 4, 2025, at 3 p.m. in Bill Vining Arena.
