Written by Nic Fraraccio // Photo by Macy Cox
As Harding’s No. 14 ranked women’s basketball team continues to storm through the Great American Conference (GAC) schedule, the team set a new school record, beating the previous record that stood for six years.
Harding defeated No. 10 Northwestern Oklahoma State University Jan. 20, by a final score of 76-68 to win their second top-10 matchup of the season.
With this win, the Lady Bisons set a new school record with 21 straight home victories. The streak began Dec. 1, 2022 with a 66-51 GAC victory over Ouachita Baptist University.
Junior guard Kendrick “Bugs” Bailey and sophomore forward Harley Harbour both secured career high scoring performances to boost the Lady Bisons to victory against the Rangers.
Bailey said the performance showed that anyone can step up in critical situations for the Lady Bisons.
“We have many people who can step in and help,” Bailey said. “Teammates find you and get you open for the shots, and I think when we all play together it’s just a huge confidence boost for everyone.”
Bailey said the victory over the Rangers continued to boost the team’s confidence after winning three hard-fought conference games in a row.
“It really proves what we can do,” Bailey said. “I think coming in and being able to prove that we can play against them and come out with a big win shows a lot about the fight our team has.”
Head coach Tim Kirby said it is important for his team to experience tough moments throughout the season.
“It’s a plus whenever you are getting some of those wins because you want to be able to experience that and know that we can take care of this,” Kirby said. “When you get hit with it, you gotta have confidence that you can win that game. You don’t want to get into panic mode and not be able to execute.”
With multiple big games coming up for the Lady Bisons, assistant coach Dawson Yates said the team will continue to prepare one game at a time but knows there is a crucial matchup ahead against Southern Nazarene University Feb. 10.
“The coaches’ cliche is always the next game,” Yates said. “Of course as a former player and now as a coach, there is always a game or two that means more. We need everyone at the next game against Ouachita [Baptist University] at 5:30 … When Southern Nazarene [University] comes back, it is a testament to who’s gonna win our conference and who’s gonna have a chance to host our region.”
The Lady Bisons will look to continue their home winning streak tomorrow, Jan. 27, as they take on the Tigers of Ouachita Baptist University. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. in the Rhodes-Reaves Fieldhouse.
