The Ouachita Baptist University men’s basketball team tried to rally from a second-half deficit, but the Tigers fell just short in a 64-58, loss to Southern Arkansas in a Gulf South Conference West Division game Saturday at the W.T. Watson Athletic Center.
The Muleriders, who led 30-25 at the half, broke a 43-all tie with an 11-0 run, capped by a Cory Clark 3-pointer with 2:41 remaining to give Southern Arkansas a 54-43 advantage. The lead grew to as many as 13 points, 56-44, after a pair of free throws by Clark with 1:39 left.
But Ouachita (13-12 overall, 3-9 GSC West) tried to rally down the stretch, cutting the deficit to 58-55 after a Brandon Rose 3-pointer with 20 seconds left. But the Tigers, who were eliminated from the Gulf South Conference Tournament with the loss, were forced to foul and Clark sank a pair at the line to push the margin to 60-55.
Ouachita got as close as 62-58 after a Rowan Ledbetter 3-pointer with four seconds left, but Charles Moore put the game out of reach by knocking down two shots at the charity stripe to give Southern Arkansas (11-13, 5-7) a 64-58 lead.
Ledbetter paced Ouachita with 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including five of the team’s six 3-pointers. Daniel Maddox added 11 points as the Tigers were 22-of-60 (37 percent) shooting and 8-of-19 (42 percent) from the foul line.
Clark, who was 5-of-10 from the floor and 4-of-6 from behind the 3-point line, led Southern Arkansas with 20 points. Justin Stuart finished with 14 points, while Moore pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds as the Muleriders were 22-of-52 (42 percent) from the field and 14-of-20 (70 percent) from the free-throw line.
Ouachita will play its final home game of the season – Senior Night — 8:00 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 26 against rival Henderson State in a Gulf South Conference West Division game at Bill Vining Arena. The game will be available to watch as Ouachita Baptist University will be doing a live webcast of both games and can catch them at: www.obusignal.com.
