SEARCY, Ark. — The No. 20 Ouachita men's basketball team suffered its second setback in league play after Monday's 79-69 loss to Harding at Rhodes-Reaves Field House.

The Tigers were handled in stunning fashion, taking its lone lead at 8-7 when senior PJ Neal muscled in consecutive layups off turnovers. The Bisons responded with a ferocious 15-0 scoring run and held the Tigers scoreless for over nine minutes to take a commanding 24-9 lead. Harding sophomore Marko Rangan crashed the glass during the stretch as the Bisons piled up 12 offensive boards in the first half to convert second-chance opportunities. Ouachita (18-4, 14-2 GAC) struggled to find its rhythm early on against Harding with a set defense.

Freshman Jaxon Conley scored on a reverse layup to end the scoreless drought, but the Bisons continued to dictate the pace of play. Harding senior Keyln McBride scored the last three baskets of the opening half for the Bisons, capped with a four-point play and a running hook shot to beat the first-half buzzer. Ouachita entered the locker room in unfamiliar territory, trailing 39-20, faced with its largest deficit of the season. 

Senior Devon Hancock attacked with aggression out the break as he scored a tough layup inside, then knocked down a pull-up 3-point shot as the Tigers tried to chip away. The Tigers pounced on a slight 7-0 scoring run after Hancock hit a spot-up 3-pointer, then laid in a dime from Neal to finish the fast break moments later. Hancock led the Tigers with 23 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the floor. 

The Tigers fed junior Christian Parks inside the paint for consecutive layups to trim the deficit to 56-46 midway through the second half, but Ouachita's rim protector fouled out in 19 minutes. Despite holding Harding (15-7, 11-5 GAC) without a made field goal over the final four minutes, Ouachita could not overcome the damage done in the opening half. The Tigers connected on 18 of 29 (62%) of its shots in the second half, but Harding hit 26 of its 33 free throw attempts to close out the rivalry win at the foul line.

Ouachita dropped to 14-2 in Great American Conference play after its six-game win streak was snapped Monday night. The Tigers have an opportunity to bounce back on Thursday with a rivalry game across U.S. Highway 67 at Henderson State. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.