ARKADELPHIA – The Ouachita men's basketball team picked up its fifth win in a row with a 75-62 victory over the Bulldogs of Southwestern Oklahoma State University on Saturday afternoon at Bill Vining Arena.
It was another slow start for Ouachita (10-4, 5-3 GAC) as Southwestern Oklahoma State (7-6, 4-4 GAC) jumped out to an 11-2 lead after the first five minutes of action. The Bulldogs held onto that early multi-possession lead for the next 10 minutes, leading by as much as nine during that period. However, starting at the 4:05 mark, the Tigers put together a 12-0 run over the following two minutes to tie the game at 23 and then take a five-point lead with 1:57 on the clock. Ouachita's lead grew to eight points by the 23 second mark, but SWOSU make a shot with four seconds left in the half and the Tigers went into the break leading 36-30.
Southwestern came out strong in the second half, quickly narrowing Ouachita's lead to just two points. The Tigers' first basket of the second half didn't come until the 16:40 mark. From there, the two teams stayed close over the next 10 minutes, with SWOSU cutting the Tigers' lead down to just one point with just under 12 to go in the game. But Ouachita was quick to respond. The Tigers never trailed in the second half and were able to keep the Bulldogs just out of reach. Ouachita's lead hit the double-digit mark with 3:21 left on the clock and the Tigers cruised through the final minutes to a 13-point, 75-62 win over SWOSU, marking their fifth straight GAC win.
As a team, Ouachita shot 51 percent from the field and just shy of 40 percent from three-point range, keeping their spot atop the GAC rankings in both categories. The Tigers also shot 90 percent from the charity stripe, their second game this season shooting at least 90 percent from the line.
Shaun Williams was at the top of the scoresheet for this afternoon with 26 points that came on 8-of-11 shooting, including 4-for-6 from three-point range and 6-for-7 from the free-throw line. Williams also tied for second in rebounds with five.
Hobert Grayson was close behind with 22 points and led the team with nine rebounds, extending his streak on 20-plus point games to 12 straight. Grayson also led the team in steals with four and assists with three.
Devyn Frankling was third in scoring for the Tigers with 14 points in the win and tied with Williams for second in rebounding with five.
The Tigers will look to keep up the success next week when they head on the road to take on the Bison of Oklahoma Baptist University on Thursday, January 16 at 7:30 p.m. in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
