Game Notes

SEARCY - The Harding Bisons their only home game in December on Saturday when they host Central Baptist at the Rhodes Field House. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

COACHES: Harding is coached by Jeff Morgan, who is in his 18th season as a head coach and 17th season as head coach of the Bisons. Morgan has a 295-193 career record and a 278-183 record at Harding.

Josh Austin is the head coach at Central Baptist.

THE BISONS: Harding's next three games are on the road and will be played in a four-day span from Dec. 19-22. Harding's only off day is Sunday, Dec. 20.

Harding returns home after splitting a pair of games in Texas over the weekend. The Bisons opened with an 82-71 loss at Incarnate Word. Stephen Blake led Harding with 12 points. The Bisons then shot 65%, the second-best percentage by a Harding team, in defeating St. Edward's 68-64.

Harding attempted only 38 shots against St. Edward's the fewest by a Bison team in the NCAA era.

Harding has the top two three-point shooters in the GSC thus far. Sam Brown is second in the GSC in 3pt pct. (59.3) and ninth with 2.29 three-pointers per game. Matt Garner is third in the GSC, shooting 55.6 percent from three-point range.

Harding has scored 30 more points in the second half of games this season. The Bisons have scored 265 in the second half and 235 in the first. Harding opponents average only 28 points in the first half.

THE MUSTANGS: Central Baptist is a member of the National Christian College Athletics Association and is located in Conway, Ark. (pop. 57,006).

The Mustangs enter the game with an 8-3 record and have won games over Crowley's Ridge (96-72) and Principia (75-63) after losing games to Dordt College and Northwestern College.

Ryan Barnes, a 6-6 forward from Fort Smith, Ark., leads Central Baptist in scoring at 23.6 points per game. Mike Holder, a 6-5 forward from Batesville, averages a team-high 8.5 rebounds per game, and Rodderick Briggs, a 6-0 guard from Lewisville, Ark., leads with 4.5 assists per game.

Central Baptist is averaging 9.5 three-pointers per game and has made 40 more three-pointers than its opponents through 11 games.

The Mustangs have seven different players who have made more than 10 three-pointers this season.

THE SERIES: Harding and Central Baptist have met six times since 2001 with the Bisons winning all six in Searcy. Harding's average margin of victory is 26.3 points, but the Bisons won only 78-69 last season in Searcy.