The Lady Bisons defeated University of Arkansas-Monticello (UAM) 82-58 Saturday, capturing their 12th consecutive win and boosting their conference record to 11-0, good for first place in the Great American Conference (GAC).
After a big win against ranked rival Arkansas Tech on Jan. 22, the Lady Bisons had just one day to prepare for the Lady Blossoms. Head coach Tim Kirby said that despite the quick timeline, the team played with great effort and determination.
“We were concerned about the energy level because it’s a quick turnaround,” Kirby said. “We had one day to prepare for them, and we expended a lot of energy on Thursday. I think they did a good job coming out and attacking us early, but I was really proud of the way we responded at the end of halftime and the second half.”
Senior forwards Montana Lewis and Arielle Saunders both scored 20 points, and Saunders set a new career high in rebounds, pulling down 19 during the game.
With 1,550 Bison fans in attendance, the second-largest crowd this season according to Harding Sports Information, the No. 16 Lady Bisons used a big play at the end of the first half to grab the momentum.Seconds before the end of the first half, Lewis scored on a breakaway layup and was fouled in the process. The three-point play gave the Bisons a 35-31 halftime advantage and the upper hand in what was a close game at that point.
“It was a huge play because it gave us a lot of momentum going into halftime and allowed us to start the second half on a good note,” Saunders said.
One of the reasons the game remained so close in the first half was the Lady Blossoms offensive rebounding — something the Lady Bisons addressed heavily at the break.
“During halftime coach Kirby talked to us about rebounding,” Saunders said. “He was pleased with the way we ended the half, but told us we needed to win this game with our defense and by out-rebounding them by as much as possible in the second half.”
Sophomore Andi Haney, who scored eight points and had two rebounds for the Lady Bisons in the victory, said that coming out of halftime the team was more focused and feeling more confident.
“We had the momentum going into halftime because Montana got that great three-point play at the end,” Haney said. “We were feeling confident about where we were standing and we knew we could get better. I think one of our concentrations was not worrying about the girls we were focusing on, but worrying about them as a team.”
The Lady Bisons proceeded to outscore the Lady Blossoms by 20 in the second half, blowing them out and improving their record to 15-2 for the year. Following the GAC wins over Arkansas Tech and the UAM, the Lady Bisons jumped seven spots in the USA Today NCAA DII coaches’ poll from 23rd to 16th.
The Lady Bisons next home game is “Pink Out” night, on Saturday, Jan. 31 against Southern Arkansas University at 5:30 p.m. in the Rhodes Fieldhouse. Results from Thursday’s game against Henderson State University were unavailable as of press time.
