ARKADELPHIA — The Ouachita men's basketball team rolled past Arkansas-Monticello 68-55 to earn its sixth straight home win Saturday inside Bill Vining Arena.
The Tigers (7-2, 3-0 GAC) ramped up the defensive pressure and controlled the lead for 37 minutes, while holding the Weevils to 20-for-51 (39%) shooting from the floor and just 5-for-19 (26%) from beyond the arc. Ouachita ranks among the top 10 Division II schools in scoring defense and opposing field goal percentage.
A pair of junior forwards connected early on consecutive possessions as Trey Smith set up Christian Parks posted inside to score through contact. Senior guard PJ Neal capped a clock-draining possession with a tough drive through traffic to send the Tigers into halftime ahead 31-24. Neal scored 14 points and sparked a decisive scoring run in the second half with consecutive steals that he finished coast-to-coast at the rim.
Graduate senior guard Devon Hancock paced the Tigers with 11 points and started the second half as a distributor, attacking inside for a drive-and-kick out to sophomore guard Crew Flowers for a three from the left wing that stretched the lead to double digits. Ouachita surged ahead 51-34 after an impressive sequence from junior guard Gavin Snyder, who buried a spot-up three off an assist from Neal, then Synder intercepted a pass on the defensive end and pulled up with a mid-range jumper in transition. Moments later, Parks jumped the passing lane and flushed a ferocious one-handed fast break slam over his defender to give the Tigers a 19-point lead, the largest of the game. Snyder chipped in 13 points with a trio of threes off the bench as the Tigers outscored the Weevils' reserves 17-0.
Arkansas-Monticello (4-6, 0-4 GAC) briefly found life behind senior guard Jakob Zenon after consecutive 3-pointers trimmed the deficit to 57-50, but the Weevils never got that close again. Ouachita instantly responded as Parks drove through the lane for a finger roll layup, then sealed the game late on a second chance opportunity with a reverse tip-in. Parks led the Tigers with a season-high 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting from the floor to go along with seven boards and four blocks.
Ouachita aims to continue its unbeaten start in Great American Conference play on Thursday, Dec. 18 against Harding with a men's and women's basketball double-header inside Bill Vining Arena. Tip-off for the men's game is scheduled at 7:30 p.m.
