ARKADELPHIA, AR- The Ouachita Tigers (5-2) put their 5-0 home record on the line on Saturday when they hosted Dallas Baptist (7-3). The game game started off with a strange sequence of events, with the referees not being present for the initial 2 p.m. tipoff, forcing the game to be delayed until 4 p.m. The game finally tipped off though, and the Tigers match-up with the Patriots was a doozy, both teams having trouble from the floor. The Tigers fought back and forth with DBU, but in the end were unable to take the win, falling by a score of 69-65.
The Tigers were led by senior Emmanuel Engulu, who recorded a double double, with a game high 23 points and 10 rebounds. Junior Austin Mitchell had a tough day, only making one shot from the floor in 14 attempts, but was second for the Tigers with nine points, six of which came from the free throw line. Juniors Nigel Ramsey and Michael Morris both finished with eight points for the Tigers. Mitchell led the Tigers with three assists, while Morris collected a team high three steals.
Dallas Baptist was led by Armie Lewis, who was instrumental in the Patriot victory, recording 17 points. Lewis’ most important contribution to DBU’s efforts were his free throws in the waning seconds of the game, as he drained five of six free throw attempts in the last 20 seconds of the game. Jordan McGowen added 16 points for DBU, while Nick Fox finished with 10 and TJ Clark finished with eight. McGowen added a team high eight rebounds while Clark recorded three steals.
The Tigers turned the ball over 16 times, while forcing the Patriots into 13 turnovers. The Tigers outrebounded DBU by an impressive margin, grabbing 41 boards while only allowing DBU 29, but it was not enough, as the Tigers shooting performance did them in. The Tigers only shot 36.7 percent from the floor in the game while the Patriots finished the game with a field goal percentage of 40.4 percent.
The Tigers return to the hardwood on Thursday night when they travel to Florence, Alabama for a rematch with the University of North Alabama. The last time the Tigers faced off with the Lions, they took a 75-74 win at home. Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 6 p.m.
-Josh Fink, Sports Information Director
