Written by Spencer Aiello // Photo by Macy Cox
The Harding women’s basketball team continues its successful season after winning its 10th straight home game this past week, pushing the team’s overall record to 21-6 and its Great American Conference (GAC) record to 17-3.
The Lady Bisons’ win Saturday, Feb. 18, marked the eighth time Harding has reached a 10-game win streak at home.
The win also marked the seventh time Harding has won 21 games or more in a single season. The last time Harding did this came in the 2018-2019 season, when the Lady Bisons finished 21-9.
With their record of 21-6, Harding ranks second in the GAC, just two games behind Southern Nazarene University, which currently holds a record of 22-4.
Junior Sage Hawley, who is having a historic season averaging 19 points and 10.6 rebounds a game, attributes the team’s success this season to the bond the team shares.
“We spend a lot of time together,” Hawley said. “But we’re really close because of it.”
Hawley shared her thoughts about the impact the crowd and band have during the games this season.
“Having our fans here and people yelling and screaming, and the band is amazing,” Hawley said. “Our cheerleaders are awesome, but that energy helps more than anybody can ever understand.”
The Lady Bisons will take on University of Arkansas at Monticello Feb. 23 on the road and have a home game against Henderson State University back in Searcy for senior night Feb. 25.
Sophomore Rory Geer said the team is preparing for these two games by keeping the mentality they’ve had all season.
“I don’t think we’ll be changing,” Geer said. “I think we’ll just go in with more energy and just more excitement.”
Head coach Tim Kirby said he thinks the team is playing well finishing the season and can continue to excel as the conference tournament nears.
“We need to go into the tournament on a positive note,” Kirby said. “I think we’re playing well, but we need to continue to get better.”
As the season approaches its final home game and senior night, Kirby said he’d like to see more support as the season wraps up.
“[The] Rhodes-Reaves Field House gets really loud no matter how many fans we have,” Kirby said. “But we would love to see a full house to finish our season.”
