BETHANY, Okla. — A frigid shooting performance proved too much to overcome Thursday as the No. 20 Ouachita men's basketball team fell to Southern Nazarene 73-60 inside the Sawyer Center.

The Tigers never led and missed 38 of 51 shots, watching an early punch swell into an inescapable hole against the Crimson Storm. Ouachita was held to a season-low in scoring to drop to 20-5 overall and 16-3 in Great American Conference play. 

Ouachita misfired on 11 of its first 12 attempts, digging itself into an instant 8-point deficit before junior Ryder McConnell settled the Tigers with a spot-up three from the top of the key to trim the margin to 13-8. Southern Nazarene seniors capitalized on the cold stretch as Baron Bracey buried a 3-pointer, then Colby Henderson turned a steal into a fast break finish to stretch the lead to 20-10. Bracey led the Crimson Storm with game-highs of 23 points and 18 rebounds. 

With five minutes left in the opening half, senior Devon Hancock used a high screen to hit a pull-up jumper and later hit a 3-pointer from the right wing, but each basket was countered with a Crimson Storm response from beyond the arc. Southern Nazarene carried a 34-24 advantage into halftime, with Ouachita still searching for rhythm after getting held to just 6-for-24 shooting in the first half. 

The second half followed a similar script as the Tigers started 2-for-17 from the floor after the break. A brief surge offered hope as senior PJ Neal converted an acrobatic transition layup to ignite an 11-2 scoring run. The Tigers trimmed the deficit to within 10 points eight times, but could draw no closer than eight points down the stretch. Neal and freshman Jaxon Conley paced the Tigers with 13 points each. 

With just three games left in the regular season, No. 20 Ouachita turns around to face No. 7 Oklahoma Baptist on Saturday for a potential NCAA Division II Central Regional preview. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Noble Complex in Shawnee, Okla.