Alva Review-Courier -

WEATHERFORD, Okla. – The Ouachita men's basketball team (2-0, 1-0 GAC) downed Southwestern Oklahoma State (1-2, 0-1) 63-61 Thursday night in the two teams' conference opener.

After taking a 28-25 lead into the half, Ouachita battled through eight lead changes during the second period to slip past the Bulldogs. Mahlon Martin scored the final four points for the Tigers, including the game winner with just two second remaining.

Southwestern Oklahoma State owned its largest advantage of the night after a made 3-point shot pushed the Bulldogs ahead by six with just five minutes remaining. Ouachita answered back with a 16-8 run to close out the game, led by Jontavis Willis' six points.

Both Willis and Martin led the Tigers with 15 and 13 points, respectively. Willis also closed out the night with two rebounds and two steals while Martin grabbed four rebounds.

Aitor Lopez-Breton led the way in rebounds with eight while also accumulating seven points. Wesley Franklin gave the Tigers three double-digit scorers with 10 points while coming away with four rebounds.

As a team, Ouachita shot 38-percent from the field and 39-percent from behind the 3-point stripe. The Bulldogs hung tight with the Tigers, hitting 37-percent of their shots and 44-percent of their 3-pointers.

Ouachita will now prepare for Northwestern Oklahoma State. The conference match is set to tipoff at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 18 in Alva, Oklahoma.