Late Shooting Woes Lead to Road Loss for OBU Tigers Against Southern Nazarene

Courtesy OBU Athletics Department

BETHANY, Okla.-Although they led most of the second half, an inability to make shots doomed the Ouachita Tigers (6-5, 2-3 GAC) on Thursday evening as they took on conference foe Southern Nazarene (7-4, 2-3 GAC). The OBU Tigers attempted four shots from the floor and five free throws in the last minute and a half of play, only making one of the free throws, leading to a 72-67 victory for the Crimson Storm.

The OBU Tigers held a three point lead at halftime, but the second half was a struggle due to the likes of Michael Morris, Julian LaDay and Colt Fason all picking up their fifth fouls of the game down the stretch, leaving the Tigers down three of their five starters. Foul totals in the game weighed heavily against the Tigers, as they were called for 35 compared to just 17 for Southern Nazarene.

Ouachita’s Nigel Ramsey posted an 18 point performance in the game, making seven of his 10 shot attempts, but unfortunately, Ramsey struggled from the free throw line, only making 2-of-9 from the charity stripe. Austin Mitchell finished with 12 for the Tigers, while Michael Morris notched 11 to go with his game-high nine rebounds.

Tyrone Lyons put the Crimson Storm’s offensive load on his shoulder, draining 18 points and picking up a game-high nine rebounds. Quan Conner had a 14 point performance, making all nine of his free throw attempts despite his struggles from the floor (2-of-13). Ryan Aaron rounded out the Crimson Storm’s double-digit scorers, as he finished with 13 points and six rebounds.

The Tigers finished the game with a 42.9 percent mark from the floor, while holding Southern Nazarene to just 33.3 percent from the floor. Unfortunately, they were outrebounded 45-34 by the Crimson Storm in the game. Another key stat is the number of free throws for each squad, as Ouachita only made seven of their 17 attempts from the line (41.2 percent), compared to Southern Nazarene’s 35 makes on 45 attempts from the line (77.8 percent).

Ouachita returns home on Thursday, January 10 for their next game, when they host the Wonder Boys of Arkansas Tech. That game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.