ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – SWOSU Men's Basketball could not keep pace with No. 20 Ouachita Baptist, falling 78-59 in Arkadelphia on Thursday.

The Bulldogs, now 8-12 overall and 5-9 in conference play, find themselves in a crowded race as several teams battle for a spot in the top eight to earn a berth in the GAC Tournament. SWOSU will wrap up its final Arkansas trip on Saturday with a 3:00 p.m. matchup against Henderson State.

As good teams do, the Tigers shifted the game in the final minutes of the first half. After SWOSU took a 29-28 lead with just over three minutes remaining in the opening frame following a tough and-1 layup by Ty Frierson, Ouachita closed the half on a 14-0 run to take a 42-29 lead into the break, after it briefly appeared the Bulldogs might be able to control the nationally ranked Tigers. In the first half, SWOSU shot 1-4 from the free throw line, while Ouachita Baptist went 9-10.

That late first half run set the tone for the remainder of the game, as the Bulldogs were unable to string together enough possessions to mount a comeback. In the second half, SWOSU shot just 2-11 from three-point range. The biggest difference came on the boards, where Ouachita Baptist held a 43-27 rebounding advantage, leading to edges in both second-chance points, 17-10, and fast break points, 20-3.

SWOSU finished the game shooting 39 percent from the field, while Ouachita shot 46 percent overall and 45 percent from deep (9-20). The free throw advantage also favored the Tigers, as the Dawgs went 9-17 at the line compared to 15-19 for Ouachita.

Cade Hartley led SWOSU with a career-high 11 points on 4-5 shooting. Nate Reherman added a season-high 10 points.