ARKADELPHIA – Ouachita bounced back Saturday to knock off No. 14 Southern Nazarene 83-75 inside Bill Vining Arena, which marked the 200th win for Head Coach Dennis Nutt with the Tigers.

Ouachita's 15-year men's basketball coach became just the second in program history to reach the 200-win career milestone. Coach Nutt mentioned the defensive effort in the second half, along with one of the most electric performances Vining Arena has ever seen, fueled the historic comeback. 

Senior Devon Hancock poured in a career-high 34 points on an immaculate 10-for-12 shooting clinic. The Dallas native was unstoppable, drilling all seven of his shots from beyond the arc and adding seven more points from the free throw line. 

"That's Tiger basketball at its best," Coach Nutt said. "What can you say about Devon? He completely went off and that was amazing to see." 

Senior PJ Neal broke the ice by throwing a lob to junior Christian Parks for an alley-oop layup. Neal followed up bruising his way through the lane to score the Tigers' next three baskets, capped with an open three from the right wing. After both squads received technical fouls for staring down the opposing bench, the Crimson Storm took control with a 13-1 scoring run. Hancock got the Tigers back in rhythm with a step-back three from the top of the key that bounced off the front iron and kissed off the glass before settling through the net. 

The Crimson Storm caught fire from deep, hitting 10 of their first 11 shots from 3-point range to hold a 42-33 edge at halftime. Southern Nazarene (13-3, 7-3 GAC) briefly pushed its lead to 12 early in the second half, until Hancock buried three consecutive 3s, including a heat check from the left corner to rally the Tigers back to within five points.

Freshman Jaxon Conley connected on a three from the right wing with 11 minutes left to play, which capped a 22-9 scoring run and gave the Tigers their first lead since the opening minutes. Hancock entered a flow state, cutting to the rim and taking a feed from Conley to hammer home a tomahawk dunk. The third-leading scorer in the Great American Conference found an answer for every Crimson Storm push. Hancock used a screen to drill his sixth 3-pointer as Ouachita reclaimed a 62-60 lead. 

"You saw in the second half, he showed out and we needed it," Coach Nutt said. "We needed a spark. He's so athletic and puts a lot of time in, so I'm proud of him."

The second half featured seven lead changes and three ties. Neal attacked the paint, kept his poise and slipped an assist inside to sophomore Crew Flowers for a finger roll finish, which put Ouachita ahead 67-65 and the Tigers never relinquished the lead after that play. Flowers finished with 11 points, four assists, and a momentum-shifting steal that he finished with a two-handed slam during the second-half rally. Hanock drove through the lane to finish a contested floater, then used a screen to bury his seventh 3-pointer as the lead reached nine points inside the final minute.

Ouachita shot an astounding 57% from the floor and an impressive 55% from three-point range. Neal finished with 14 points and seven assists, while Conley chipped in 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

Ouachita (13-3, 9-1 GAC) seized sole possession of first place with its ninth GAC win through 10 games. The Tigers seek to carry the momentum as conference play continues against cross-street rival Henderson State on Thursday, Jan. 22, back inside Vining Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.