Written Nic Fraraccio // Photo by Macy Cox
As the Great American Conference tournament approaches, the Harding basketball teams will look to gain confidence and momentum as their regular season concludes.
The No. 5 Lady Bisons continued their conference success Feb. 17 as they defeated Southern Arkansas University by a final score of 80-67.
Senior forward Sage Hawley tallied her 51st career double-double, and sophomore Harley Harbour notched a career-high with 21 points. With this win, the Lady Bisons extended their winning streak to 11 games. Harbour said the Lady Bisons must continue to work as a team as the regular season conference schedule comes to a close.
“Staying together as a team and playing for each other is the most important thing,” Harbour said. “We know we have a target on our back, and obviously we are expected to win, which adds more pressure. We try to keep it relaxed and enjoy the games in the moment.”
During the win streak, Harding knocked off two ranked opponents within the GAC. Most notably, the Lady Bisons defeated No. 5 Southern Nazarene University Feb. 10 by a final score of 77-57 to hand the Crimson Storm their first loss of the season.
Following the victory, Harding joined Southern Nazarene at the top of the regular season conference standings.
Junior guard Kendrick “Bugs” Bailey said it was a great feeling to defend their home court against the Crimson Storm.
“Protecting our home court means a lot to us,” Bailey said. “A lot of times we think, ‘Okay, we gotta do it for the people that are here for us and always there when we need them.’”
Following their recent home victories against Southern Nazarene University and Arkansas Tech University, Harding has extended their home winning streak to a school-record 25 games.
As the Lady Bisons pick up steam heading into the conference tournament, the men’s basketball team has gained important momentum during the second half of the season.
The Bisons have won five out of their last seven conference games. In their most recent matchup, Harding took down Southern Arkansas University 77-66 to climb to fourth place in the conference standings.
The Bisons caught fire from behind the three-point arc, shooting 53 percent as a team against the Muleriders.
Sophomore guard Rylie Marshall said the Bisons are a tough team to guard if they continue their three-point success.
“When we are hitting shots from out there, you gotta respect it,” Marshall said. “It makes us tougher to guard considering we have guys who can score at all three levels.”
The victory against the Muleriders served as an important milestone for the Bisons winning nine conference games for the first time since the 2016-2017 season.
Despite the recent success, the Bisons are searching for a clinching bid to the GAC tournament. Marshall said the team is not satisfied with the season despite the improvements made on and off the court.
“We’re hungry for it,” Marshall said. “We’re all trying to go hard every day in practice, and it is starting to pay off in our games. Everyone wants it, and we are not done yet. We still got something to prove.”
The men’s and women’s teams will travel to Weatherford, Oklahoma, tomorrow to take on Southwestern Oklahoma State University. A win for both teams would increase their chances of securing a top seed in the GAC tournament.
The Great American Conference tournament will begin March 8 in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Fans can listen to Harding games live on KVHU 95.3.
