ARKADELPHIA- Ouachita Baptist hit enough shots to win, but it was Arkansas-Monticello who came away with a narrow 71-70 Gulf South Conference West Division victory on Saturday at Bill Vining Arena.
Ouachita (9-15, 4-8 GSC West) shot 50 percent and forced the Boll Weevils (13-11, 5-7 GSC West) into 11 turnovers on the night. The problem came in a 19-of-26 performance from the line for Arkansas-Monticello, compared to just a 9-of-13 on free-throw opportunities. Both teams shot higher than average, as the Boll Weevils finished with a 53 percentage night, while holding a 26-25 edge in rebounding, as well.
The Tigers led 35-31 at halftime, as sophomore Mile Monroe hit a three-pointer with 31 seconds remaining for a four point lead. In the second half, the Tigers led by as much as seven after a lay-up from sophomore Julian LaDay at the 17:10 mark, but with 12:16 left, Arkansas Monticello’s LA Farmer gave the visiting team their first lead of the half with a pair of free-throws to make it 49-48.
The lead wouldn’t last long, as senior Scott Day finished with a lay-up to bring the lead back to Ouachita at 50-49 at 11:52, but with 4:48 remaining, Arkansas-Monticello grabbed the lead and never let it go after a shot from D’Angelo Dean made it 61-60.
LaDay finished with a team-high 14 points and six rebounds, while senior Jeremy Banks added 13 points and three assists. Sophomore Nigel Ramsey finished with 11 points. Ouachita hit 11 three-pointers on 11-of-28 shootings (39 percent).
For Arkansas-Monticello, Ricardo Hall finished with 26 points and teammate LA Farmer with 21.
The Tigers will return to Bill Vining Arena to face cross-town rival Henderson State for Senior Day on Thursday beginning at 8 p.m.
