Box Score
SEARCY – Adam White’s three-point play with 37 seconds remaining proved to be the game-winner as Drury defeated Harding 85-82 on Friday night at the Rhodes Field House.
The loss for Harding (6-4) was its third straight and first in six home games this season. Drury (8-1) won its fourth straight and became the first team in the 10-game series between the two schools to win a game on the road.
Harding held an 81-79 lead with 1:06 left following two Matt Hall free throws. Drury pulled down two offensive rebounds on its next possession before White drove the lane, banked in a layup, and connected on the ensuing free throw to give the Panthers an 82-81 advantage.
The Bisons committed a turnover on their next possession. Drury’s Steven Gum then made two free throws to put the Panthers ahead by three with 19 seconds left. Harding missed a layup and a three-pointer on its next trip before Trent Morgan was fouled with 3 seconds left. He made the first of two free throws to cut the Harding deficit to 84-82. The Bisons fouled immediately and Jason Jones knocked down a free throw to seal the victory.
Hall led Harding with 27 points, connecting on 8-of-16 from the field and 9-of-11 from the foul line. The junior moved into 20th in career scoring at Harding with 1,143 points. He surpassed Cliff Miller (1994-98) and Gary Baker (1972-76).
Gum paced Drury with 20 points and added a team-high five assists.
Harding hit seven three-pointers in the first half and led by as many as 13 points. The Bisons took a 48-39 advantage into the break. Drury quickly closed the gap to one point at 56-55 at the 15:12 mark of the second half.
The Panthers took their first lead after the break on a Jones three-pointer to put Drury ahead 67-66 with 10:37 left. There were three ties and four lead changes in the game’s final 10 minutes.
The loss snapped a streak of 12 straight non-conference home wins for the Bisons.
Harding is off to Hawaii for its next two games. The Bisons take on BYU-Hawaii on Dec. 19 and Hawaii Pacific on Dec. 20.
