FORT SMITH, Arkansas – The Ouachita men's basketball team is headed to the semifinals of the 2025 Great American Conference Championship Tournament following an 80-60 victory over Northwestern Oklahoma State on Thursday.

The first half featured a defensive battle early, but with Shaun Williams making three of his first four shots, including a pair of three-pointers, the Tigers held the advantage.

Ouachita led for nearly 17 minutes in the first half due to near or above 50 percent shooting, finishing the half at 57 percent (16-for-28).

The high-percentage shooting combined with a 16-2 scoring run over a span of nearly seven minutes helped the Tigers stretch their lead out to as much as 17 in the final minute. Ouachita's first double-digit lead came on back-to-back fast-break dunks from Reggie Martin with nine minutes remaining before halftime.

NWOSU came out making shots early in the second half, but the Tigers responded and were 6-for-9 to prevent the Rangers from rallying.

Both teams went on scoring droughts of more than two minutes near the midway point of the second half. Ouachita was 0-for-4 during the drought with three turnovers. NWOSU was 1-for-7. However, the Tigers maintained their 50 percent shooting, and in the process, expanded its largest lead to 18 at the 14:29 mark.

Ouachita kept its shooting above 50 percent the rest of the way and finished at 53 percent overall (30-for-57) for the game. The Tigers hit their 20-point lead on a free-throw from Devyn Franklin in the final seconds.

Four Tigers reached double-digits in scoring, led by Williams with 19 points on a 7-for-12 shooting performance. Martin added 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting. PJ Neal and Franklin each tallied 11 points in the win. Franklin led all players on the boards with a career-high 17 rebounds.

The Tigers will take on either Harding or Southwestern Oklahoma State in the GAC tournament semifinals this Saturday, March 8. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. at Southside Arena in Fort Smith.