Tigers safe for GAC tourney despite loss

ARKADELPHIA -- Ouachita Baptist's men's saw a three-game winning streak come to a close Thursday evening as Arkansas Tech won the contest 82-76 at Bill Vining Arena.

Arkansas Tech (17-10, 11-10 Great American Conference) led wire-to-wire as they limited Ouachita (12-14, 10-11) to just 43 percent shooting on the night.

The Wonder Boys offense started out red hot from beyond the arch as they connected on four consecutive 3-point attempts. The baskets forced Ouachita to take an early timeout already down 14-6 with 16 minutes to play in the opening half.

At the 10:43 mark of the first half Kendarious Smith hit a jump shot in the paint to pull the Tigers back within three points of the Wonder Boys. Coming out of the media timeout the Wonder Boys offense began to click again.

Arkansas Tech held a 37-25 advantage with 3:16 remaining in the opening half of play. The Tigers managed to chip away at the deficit as they went into the locker room trailing 37-32.

Smith led the Tigers offensively in the first half with 12 points to keep Ouachita within striking distance of Tech. Montrell Williams and Alex Brown each had 12 points in the first half for the Wonder Boys.

For most of the second half, Tech stayed ahead of the Tigers by double-digit points. With 2:46 remaining in the game Ouachita's offense began a late rally. Isaiah Harper hit a jumper in the paint to get the Tigers back within single digits.

Seconds later, Mahlon Martin knocked down a 3-pointer to pull the Tigers within 6 points of Tech. The two teams then began to trade baskets on both ends of the court. Within 15 seconds to go in the game Martin nailed a deep 3-point basket to bring Ouachita within 4 points.

Arkansas Tech hit free throws the rest of the way to pick up the victory.

Henderson State's 79-68 loss to Southern Arkansas Thursday meant the Tigers clinched a spot in the GAC Tournament.

Smith ended the night with 20 points, keeping his double-digit scoring streak alive at four games. Martin finished the game with 17 points for his sixth consecutive game with at least 10 points. Jontavis Willis contributed 12 points, while Jordan Corbitt and Isaiah Harper each had 10 points in the game.

Ouachita will host Southern Arkansas (14-13, 10-11) today with the game set to tip-off at 3 p.m.

Women

The Ouachita women's team is left with work to do to secure a spot in next week's GAC Tournament in Bartlesville, Okla., after a 74-60 loss to Arkansas Tech, the No. 2 seed.

Arkansas Tech (22-3, 18-3) has swept the season series against Ouachita (13-14, 9-12 GAC) four out of the past five years.

Ouachita scored 15 points in the opening quarter. The Tigers defense shut down the Golden Suns offense, limiting the team to just nine points in the quarter.

At the 7:10 mark of the second quarter Maija Gertson received a pass from Morgan Miller and swished in a 3-pointer. The bucket gave the Tigers a 23-9 advantage as Ouachita appeared to be on cruise control offensively.

Slowly, the Golden Suns began to chip away at the Lady Tigers lead and soon Tech had fought back within two points. Ouachita went into halftime up 32-27.

Arkansas Tech only made 28 percent of its shots from the floor in the first half. The Tigers shot 45 percent from the field.

The 7:17 mark of the third quarter was the turning point in the game. Kylie Ladd hit a 3-point shot that gave Tech a 37-34 advantage. The Lady Tigers never had the lead again after. The Golden Suns increased their lead to as many as 11 points in the third quarter and maintained their double-digit lead throughout the fourth quarter.

Arkansas Tech outscored Ouachita 47-28 in the second half. The Golden Suns shot 50 percent from the floor, while the Tigers connected on just 35 percent of their shot attempts.

Jakyya Clay was the lone Ouachita player to score in double figures as she finished the game with 10 points.

Ouachita will try to close out the regular season with a win today against Southern Arkansas 9-18, 8-13). Senior Day festivities will be held before the game with tip-off scheduled for 1 p.m.

Sports on 02/24/2018

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