The men’s basketball team had a strong showing in the Great American Conference (GAC) Tournament last weekend, defeating Northwestern Oklahoma State University (NWOSU) and Southern Arkansas University (SAU) before falling to Ouachita Baptist University (OBU) in the championship game on Sunday, March 6.
In the first round matchup against NWOSU, the Bisons shot only 1-12 from behind the three-point line in the first half, but still only trailed 30-29 at the break. The second half was a different story, as they made 10 3-pointers in the second half alone to carry them to a 76-61 win and a spot in the GAC Tournament semifinals against SAU.
“We started off a little bit rough in the first half, but gathered ourselves after,” senior guard Jacob Gibson said. “I think we were a little nervous to start off. After we lost those nerves we just played like we always do. We shared the ball and just played hard-nose defense.”
In the semifinals against SAU, Gibson scored a GAC-record and career-high 40 points to lead Harding to a 97-83 victory and into the GAC tournament championship for the second time in the last three seasons. The win marked Harding’s 20th victory on the year for the sixth time in program history.
“The guys played really well together and we made a lot of shots and defended really well, which managed to get us those first two wins,” head coach Jeff Morgan said.
Harding fell behind early in the GAC title game against OBU and at one point trailed by 25 points in the first half. The Bisons fought back in the second period, though and cut the lead to seven at one point, but ultimately it wasn’t enough and they fell 72-56 to finish as GAC Tournament runners up.
“(OBU did) a great job defensively,” Morgan said. “They’re very athletic and very tough minded on the defense event and they just got after us and pushed us off the 3-point line. It was really hard for us to get any good open looks.”
Despite the loss, the Bisons received an at-large bid into the NCAA Division II Tournament and will take on the number one team, Augustana University, on Saturday, March 12, at 5:30 p.m. in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. This will be the Bisons third time in the last four seasons to play in the NCAA Tournament.
“We were so excited,” Gibson said. “When we saw our name pop up on the selections, we all started freaking out, jumping up and down yelling. We love each other, and we play for each other first and foremost. We have a lot of seniors, and when you see that your time is coming to an end, you really want to make a great season. (The NCAA) was one of our goals from day one, so to see that come to fruition was really cool.”
Senior David Savage, one of the three leaders of Harding’s Rhodes Rowdies, said that he and the other two Rowdy leaders, Loren Cheatham and Charlie Foster, are hoping to join the team on their trip to the NCAA Tournament to help cheer them on.
“We’re constantly encouraging them,” Savage said. “For our guys it lets them know that we have their backs and helps them to step up their game.”
Savage said if they are unable to go with the team, they hope to have a tournament watch party in the student center.
