Box Score (html)
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Charles Beauregard, Jr., poured in a career-high 41 points – the most by a Bulldog player in 20 years – and helped SWOSU take Ouachita to overtime before the Tigers held on for a 97-87 victory on Saturday afternoon at Bill Vining Arena.
Beauregard outscored Ouachita 11-0 over the final 3:27 of the regulation, tying the game at 78-78 with 1:15 to play on his second of back-to-back three pointers. Each team had a chance to score a go-ahead basket in the final minute, with Beauregard missing from long range and giving the ball back to Ouachita with 34 seconds to play. The Tigers tried to run the clock down for a final shot attempt, but
Devin Pugh got a steal with three seconds left and pushed the ball up court for the Dawgs. Pugh found Beauregard on the wing for a buzzer-beater attempt that went in, but it was released after time had run out and the Bulldogs headed to overtime instead of snapping an eight-game slide.
Ouachita opened overtime with three straight three pointers by Mahlon Martin, but Beauregard answered with a pair of free throws and another basket that pushed him to 41 points with 3:53 to play. Pugh hit a three-pointer on the next possession, cutting the deficit back to two at 87-85. After Martin scored again to put Ouachita back up four, Beauregard was called for an offensive foul and fouled out with 1:43 to play, allowing the Tigers to score the next six points and pull ahead for the victory.
For the game, SWOSU shot 45.6% (31-of-68) from the field while hitting just 12-of-37 (32.4%) three-point attempts. The Bulldogs were efficient by knocking down 13-of-16 (81.3%) free throw attempts while their counterparts lived at the free throw line, connecting on 29-of-41 (70.7%) attempts from the charity stripe.
For the second straight Saturday, Beauregard and Pugh combined for better than 60 points to lead the Bulldogs. Beauregard's 41 points came on 14-of-23 shooting, which including hitting 5-of-11 three-point attempts and 8-of-9 free throws. He becomes the first Bulldog to score more than 40 points in 20 years, a feat last accomplished by Derrick Bogay with 48 points against Central Oklahoma in 1998. Beauregard also becomes just the second player in the Great American Conference to score better than 40 points in a single game this season.
Pugh chipped in 22 points for the Bulldogs, hitting 8-of-19 field goal attempts and 3-of-12 three-pointers while also hauling in a team-best seven rebounds.
Geoffery Hightower chipped in eight points off the bench while
Nick Shoemaker extended his streak of games with a made three-pointer to 34, hitting 2-of-8 attempts from long range.
SWOSU run of bad luck continues as the Bulldogs fall to 3-16 overall and 1-12 in GAC play with nine games remaining. The Dawgs will go for the season sweep of Harding on Thursday night at the Pioneer Cellular Event Center with a game set for 7:30 pm.
