RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — The Ouachita men's basketball team continued its start as one of the fiercest defensive units in the Great American Conference, surviving a late surge during crunch time of Saturday's 61-55 road win over Arkansas Tech.
With Ouachita clinging to a 57-55 lead and 32 seconds left to play, sophomore guard Crew Flowers perfectly timed an incoming pass, jumped the passing lane to come away with a clean steal and raced to finish a fast break layup that sealed the Tigers' sixth straight conference win.
Despite a tight back-and-forth affair that featured nine lead changes, Ouachita (10-2, 6-0 GAC) led for more than 35 minutes and never trailed the Wonder Boys by more than one point. The Tigers carried a slim 29-28 lead into halftime after withstanding a physical first half of aggressive defense and limited shooting from both squads.
The Tigers created separation with a 7-0 scoring run early in the second half, stringing together consecutive defensive stops. Ouachita capitalized in transition to build their largest lead at nine points after Flowers swiped another steal and finished the coast-to-coast layup.
Arkansas Tech (4-9, 2-4 GAC) responded with improved perimeter shooting and crashing the glass to score second-chance points and keep the contest within reach. The Wonder Boys leveled the score in the final minute, but Ouachita senior PJ Neal connected on a pair of clutch free throws to give the Tigers the two-point lead in the final minute before the game-sealing fifth steal from Flowers.
Graduate senior Devon Hancock led the Tigers scoring a game-high 18 points and added key free throws to pull away in the final seconds. Flowers finished with 11 points and secured five momentum-shifting steals. Junior forward Christian Parks controlled the paint with eight points, 12 rebounds and two blocks.
The Tigers forced 20 turnovers and converted those into 16 fast break points, using aggressive defense to grind out the road win. Ouachita (10-2, 6-0 GAC) ranks fourth nationally among Division II programs in scoring defense and defensive field goal percentage, which was showcased Saturday as the Tigers held the Wonder Boys to just 55 points, which was just one point more than their season-low.
Ouachita will take a road trip to Oklahoma next week looking to keep its perfect conference start intact. The Tigers are back in action with a men's and women's basketball double-header against Northwestern Oklahoma State on Thursday, Jan. 8.
