Box Score SEARCY – Delta State used its high-powered transition game to defeat Harding 82-68 Saturday in the Bisons’ Gulf South Conference opener at the Rhodes Field House. The Statesmen outscored the Bisons 32-4 on the fastbreak and limited Harding to only 32% shooting from the field.
The loss dropped Harding to 8-3 overall and snapped the Bisons’ seven-game home winning streak.
Delta State (10-1, 2-0) won for the first time in the last five meetings in Searcy. Senior Jasper Johnson led the Statesmen with 19 points, 17 coming in the second half. Johnson added eight rebounds and six steals.
DSU shot 60% from the field in the first half and led 43-32. Johnson then took control in the second half and Harding got no closer than seven points the rest of the way.
Lonnie Smith led Harding with 20 points, but shot only 6-of-19 from the field. He shot 4-of-14 from three-point range, tying the school record for three-point attempts. Smith made his first three free throws to extend his streak to 34, but missed the next two. His streak is the second longest in GSC history, trailing former Bison Aaron Farley’s 88 straight.
Ceso Sprewell, playing in only his second game of the season, notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Victor Brown had a double-double for Delta State with 17 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Jeremy Richardson added 18 points and Turmaine Rice had 17.
Harding returns to the court Monday when it travels to Arkansas-Monticello. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
