RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — Mike Balogun turned in a 16-point effort, Nick Wayman added 14 points, while Bryson Fletcher scored 10 points, but the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys (4-4, 0-1 Great American Conference) were unable to overcome hot early shooting from Ouachita Baptist (5-1, 1-0 GAC), falling 64-57 on Thursday at Tucker Coliseum.

The game was a back-and-forth affair over the first five minutes, with the Wonder Boys claiming a 7-6 lead with 14:41 to play in the opening half. OBU pulled ahead but was not able to create a great deal of separation, leading by one (15-14) with 8:00 to play in the half. However, OBU went on a 11-0 run to push their lead into double digits, and the Tigers would lead by as many as 17 (35-18) before settling into halftime with a 15-point (35-20) lead.

OBU outshot the Wonder Boys 57.7 to 23.3 percent in the first half, holding a 22-13 rebounding advantage.

The momentum shifted in the second half as the Wonder Boys opened on an 11-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer by Balogun to pull to within six (35-29) with 17 minutes to play. OBU pushed its lead back to nine after a 3-pointer by Micah Delph two minutes later, but Tech was able to cut the deficit to five points (38-33) after a Branden Williams layup with 12:09 to play.

The Tigers once again pushed their lead into double digits, taking a 10-point lead (43-33) with 10:09 to play, and pushing ahead by as many as 12 (3:19) after a Colt Fason dunk with 3:19 to play. However, the Wonder
Boys were not done, as Tech used a Balogun layup and a 3-pointer by Michael Perry to cut the OBU lead to seven with 2:19 to play.

Tech was able to narrow the deficit to five (60-55) with 50 seconds remaining in the contest, but the Wonder Boys were unable to get any closer, and OBU held on for the win.

OBU held a 44.2 to 31.6 percent advantage in shooting, while also holding a 41-34 advantage on the rebounding glass.

The Wonder Boys return to action on Saturday, Dec. 6, traveling to Arkadelphia, Ark. for a date with Henderson State. Tip-off from the Duke Wells Center is set for 3 p.m., with the game carried live on KWKK-FM (100.9) in Russellville. Live audio, video, and statistics are also available at www.arkansastechsports.com.