ARKADELPHIA – The Ouachita men's basketball team dropped an overtime thriller to third-place Northwestern Oklahoma State 82-78 Saturday afternoon at Bill Vining Arena.
Ouachita (7-14, 5-11 GAC) came out hot, taking a 10-3 lead over Northwestern Oklahoma State (12-10, 10-6 GAC) after the first three minutes of action. The Tigers stayed in control for the majority of the first half, pushing their lead to double digits for the first time at the 13-minute mark. Ouachita led by as much as 11 in the first half, but the Rangers started to catch back up. NWOSU ended the half on a 12-0 run over the final two minutes and Ouachita went into the break trailing 33-29.
Northwestern kept the momentum coming out of halftime, extending its lead to double digits less than four minutes in. The Rangers pushed their lead out to 17 points at the 11-minute mark. But in almost the mirrored image of the first half, here came the Tigers chipping away at NWOSU's lead. A 15-0 Ouachita run that spanned more than three minutes cut the deficit to just two points with 6:39 to go. The Rangers held onto a one possession lead until the two-minute mark when the Tigers took their first lead of the half 65-64. The Tigers pushed the lead to 67-64 with 1:22 left, but NWOSU tied it up with 59 seconds remaining 67-67. Both teams went scoreless over the final minute to send the game to overtime.
Both teams started overtime by trading free throws, but Northwestern began to take control of the game with just under four minutes left in OT and extended its lead to six points with 1:19 left. But the Tigers weren't done yet, putting together a 6-0 run that included a four-point play from
Gavin Snyder to tie the game 78-78 with just 44 seconds remaining. However, the Rangers were quick to answer with four points of their own and the Tigers fell by the score of 82-78.
Gavin Snyder led the Tigers offensively, scoring a career-high 19 points in 19 minutes of play time. Snyder also led the team in steals with four and was third in rebounds with 7.
Tylar Haynes was next in scoring with 13 points. Haynes picked up his third double-double of the season as he grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds to go with his 13 points.
Rollin Belton recorded a season-high 11 points to round out the Tigers in double figures.
Terran Williams led the team in assists with four.
The Tigers will look to bounce back next Thursday, February 15 as they make the long trip across the street to take on the Reddies of Henderson State University at the Duke Wells Center. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
