Box Score
ARKADELPHIA, ARK. – Harding had five players foul out but received 27 points from junior Chelsea Simpson and held on to defeat Ouachita Baptist 88-80 on Monday at Vining Arena. The win snapped a streak of nine straight road losses in the Gulf South Conference for the Lady Bisons.
Harding (12-13, 4-10 GSC) won for the fourth time in its last five outings and connected on 32-of-36 free throws, the most made in a GSC game by any Lady Bison squad. Ouachita Baptist (15-10, 4-10 GSC) continued its recent skid losing for the seventh time in its last eight outings. The Lady Tigers were eliminated from GSC Tournament contention with the loss.
The Lady Bisons left in the game continued Harding’s offensive strategy of pounding the ball inside to Simpson. The Byng, Okla., native connected on 9-of-11 from the field and 9-of-10 free throws.
With Harding limited on defense due to the foul problems, Ouachita Baptist used a combination of layups and three-pointers to trim the Lady Bison lead. Magen Rogers’ layup with 8:24 left gave OBU a 64-63 lead, but Tucker immediately put Harding back on top with a jumper at the other end. The Lady Bisons led the rest of the way.
Freeman and McMenamy each had 15 for the Lady Bisons. Freeman’s total was a season-high. She hit 5-of-9 from the field and 5-of-5 from the line. McMenamy made 4-of-4 three-pointers and broke Jama Fullerton’s freshman three-point field goal record of 56 in a season. McMenamy now has 58 threes. Tucker had 11 points.
Sophomore Lindsey Dooley led Ouachita Baptist with 17 points off the bench. Rogers, Sarah Hart, and Tiffany Dodson each had 15 on Senior Night.
The Lady Bisons look to continue their winning ways Thursday night in their final home game of the year. Tipoff against Arkansas Tech is at 6 p.m.
