FORT SMITH, Arkansas — The Ouachita men's basketball team fell short in an 81-78 overtime loss to rival Harding in the Great American Conference Tournament semifinals.
The Tigers couldn't overcome a clutch performance from Harding senior guard Keyln McBride, who dropped 31 points on seven 3-pointers that proved to be the difference. McBride's seven makes from beyond the arc, along with 10 free throws sent the Bisons to the GAC Championship game.
Ouachita opened the game attacking aggressively to set up their junior sharpshooters. Trey Smith knocked down a pair of threes from each wing to give the Tigers a slight one-point lead, then Gavin Snyder followed with a transition three to force Harding to burn an early timeout. After freshman Reggie Webster was set up to respond with a three and knot the score at 22-22, the Tigers fed junior Jaden Webb beneath the basket to use a power dribble and score through contact to regain the lead.
The Tigers leaned on physical play from their senior duo late in the half as Devon Hancock and PJ Neal powered through the lane to score a pair of tough layups through contact. McBride stepped into a pull-up 3-pointer to give the Bisons a slim lead, but sophomore Crew Flowers' drove baseline to respond with a finger roll to send the game into halftime tied at 34-34.
The pendulum continued to swing back-and-forth as the battle only intensified after the break. McBride instantly hit a corner three to break the ice, then followed a massive block by senior Wesley Booker with a transition three to extend the lead.
Hancock sparked a second-half surge with a dazzling behind-the-back move that left his defender sliding out of bounds before he finished at the rim to take a 50-49 lead. Moments later, freshman Jaxon Conley picked off a pass and raced to score a fast break layup. Neal used a spin move to twist in the post for a layup, then Hancock took a handoff and blew past his defender for a strong finish at the rim as the Tigers pounced on a 12-1 scoring run to build their largest lead at 60-50 with seven minutes remaining.
Harding answered with a 9-0 rally to cut into the deficit possession by possession before senior Thompson Camara tied the game at 64 with an and-1 layup. Harding erased a 10-point deficit and rallied behind a 17-4 scoring run in the final seven minutes of regulation to take a late lead. Inside the final minute, Hancock plunged through the lane with force and scored through contact to tie it up a 67 apiece.
McBride delivered the decisive blows in overtime. With the score knotted at 68-68, McBride found Webster for a spot-up three. McBride followed up in the clutch with consecutive threes to put Harding ahead 77-74 with 33 seconds left to play.
Ouachita continued to fight and slowed the pace down with trips to the free throw line. Neal drove through the lane to finish a tough layup with 20 seconds left to cut the deficit to one, but McBride made all 10 free throws to keep the Bisons ahead by three points. A last-second heave from Neal missed short as Ouachita's tournament run fell one win shy of the GAC championship game. Neal led the Tigers with 17 points and eight assists.
The Tigers remain in contention for an at-large bid into the 2026 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament, but any postseason hopes rely on the committee in Indianapolis to keep their season alive. Ouachita drops to 23-7 this season after the heartbreaking defeat.
