The Lady Bisons won their 20th game of the season last night against Northwestern Oklahoma State University 73-52. The team is still ranked No. 6 in Division II basketball.
Harding moved to 12-1 in conference and 20-1 overall last night in their annual “pink out” game.
“It is a fun night for women’s basketball across the country,” assistant women’s basketball coach David Walker said. “I think a lot of families are affected by cancer, and I think it’s a special thing to honor that cause.”
Both teams had slow starts but the Lady Bisons defense held Northwestern Oklahoma State to 36 percent shooting from the field and held a lead as high as 32 points in the second half, never letting Northwestern within 20 points.
“I think defensively, we were really solid and probably met all our defensive goals that we had going into the game,” Walker said. “Offensively, we were a little sluggish and they packed us inside and forced us into some dumb decisions, but I think overall, our effort and defensive intensity helped us overcome some offensive miscues.”
The NBA has players that come off the bench as a sixth man; the Lady Bisons have their own dominant off-the-bench player, senior guard Deshelle Isaac-Boyce. Boyce gave her team a boost off the bench at Thursday’s game.
Boyce said she has accepted the role of coming off the bench, giving her team the spark they need and giving encouragement to her teammates when they need it the most. The senior guard had 13 points Thursday night.
“She came in as she always does and gave us a spark off the bench,” Walker said. “She could start on almost every team in the conference; she has no ego and gave us great effort tonight.”
The team has a quick turnaround after Thursday night’s game as they play at home against Southwestern Oklahoma State University this Saturday at the Rhodes Field House.
The Lady Bisons won the last meeting against SWOSU 95-69 and look to get their 21st win and 13th conference win this Saturday at 2 p.m.
