Written by Eli Dean // Photo by Macy Cox
The Harding Lady Bisons are back and advancing in this year’s NCAA DII basketball tournament. The Lady Bisons were slotted in as the five seed in the Central Region side of the bracket, and are due to face fourth-seeded Pittsburg State on Friday, March 15. Head coach Tim Kirby said his team is prepared for the challenge as an at-large bid in the tournament.
“We are really excited about getting a bid to the NCAA Central Region Tournament,” Kirby said. “The Conference season is always difficult to finish with a good enough record to get an at-large tournament selection. [The selection] is a statement of the player’s attitude and hard work.”
Pittsburg State is coming off finishing as champions of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, and Kirby said the team is ready to face the challenge the Gorillas pose having never played them in school history.
“Getting here was a challenge as it is every year,” Kirby said. “Pittsburg State has a lot of talented players, so it should be a fun game.”
The team is back in the tournament for the first time since 2017 when the team advanced to the Final Four. Junior guard Aubrey Isbell said the team’s determination and drive started in the summer and has continued all the way to their biggest game of the season.
“It is a very long season, and because of the friendship and accountability on our team, we have been capable of achieving the success that we have so far,” Isbell said. “Throughout this season, this team has become a family. We know that from here on out, us being a family on the court is what will bring success and give us the upper hand.”
The first round matchup will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Bethany, Okla., on the campus of Southern Nazarene University. The Lady Bisons finished the regular season ranked No. 22 in the nation and will look to advance to play either No. 10 SNU or Henderson State.
