R USSELLVILLE- Despite shooting 56 percent from the field, an upset bid from Ouachita Baptist fell short as No. 1 Arkansas Tech picked up the victory, 71-61, at Tucker Coliseum in Russellville on Thursday.
Ouachita (6-18, 2-9 GSC West) trailed 33-26 at half, while coming within 49-43 with 9:50 left in the second half. Arkansas Tech (24-0, 11-0 GSC West) outscored the Tigers, 38-35, in the second half to remain undefeated and ranked the top Division II Men’s Basketball team in the country.
Ouachita freshman Olden Jordan scored a career-high 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting to lead on scorers, while freshman Austin Mitchell added a season-high 16 points off the bench for the Tigers. Ouachita shot 56 percent overall, including 44 percent on 3-pointers and 50 percent on free-throw shooting. Ouachita committed 25 turnovers for the first time since the two teams last met on Jan. 21.
Arkansas Tech was led by scoring 31 points off of turnovers, as Marcus Pillow led the Wonder Boys with 15 points off the bench. Brandon Friedel and Laithe Massey scored 14 and 10 points, respectively. The Wonder Boys shot 50 percent overall, including 31 percent on 3-pointers and 71 percent from the free-throw line.
Ouachita Baptist returns to action at Bill Vining Arena on Saturday, Feb. 20 against Southern Arkansas in a GSC matchup that begins at 4 p.m.
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