SEARCY – The Harding men's basketball team will play its final game before the Thanksgiving break Saturday when it takes on Northeastern State at Dobbins Field House in Tahlequah, Okla. Tipoff is at 4 p.m.
ON THE WEB: Live statistics for the Harding-Northeastern State game are available on HardingSports.com. Click on the LIVE STATS link below the game on the calendar on the front page.
HARDING'S PROBABLE STARTERS
NOTES THE HARDING-NORTHEASTERN STATE GAME
Harding enters the game with a 3-0 record after defeating Lambuth 82-69 on Thursday at the Rhodes Field House in Searcy. It was the Bisons' 35th straight victory in home openers.
Harding is 3-0 after three games for the second straight season. Last season, the Bisons began the season with four consecutive wins.
Northeastern State, a member of the NCAA II Lone Star Conference, enters the game 1-2 overall and is coming off a 66-48 victory over Ecclesia in its home opener Wednesday. The RiverHawks lost two road games to open the season, 81-74 at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and 75-53 at Missouri Southern.
Harding is coached by Jeff Morgan, in his 18th season as head coach of the Bisons. He has a 292-193 record at Harding. Northeastern State is coached by Larry Gipson, who is in his 14th season with the RiverHawks. He has a 232-143 record at Northeastern State.
Harding and Northeastern State have played 14 times and the series is tied 7-7. The RiverHawks hold a 5-1 lead in games played in Tahlequah, but the teams have not met at NSU since 2000, a 91-53 victory for the home team. Harding's lone win in Tahlequah was a 93-85 victory in 1989. Northeastern State has won four straight at home over Harding since then.
Through three games, Harding is led in scoring by senior guard Stephen Blake who averages 18.7 points and 4.0 assists per game. Blake is shooting 64% (7-of-11) from three-point range and 94% (17-of-18) from the free throw line. Senior forward Kevin Brown is averaging 15.3 points and a team-leading 9.0 rebounds per game. Blake set a career-high with 25 points against Lambuth, and Brown had 20 points and 12 rebounds.
As a team, Harding has made 10 more free throws than its opponents have shot (89-79). The Bisons connected on 46-of-51 (88%) from the foul line against Lambuth, the third-most free throws ever made in a game by Harding.
Harding has outscored its opponents 131-87 in the first half of games this season, giving the Bisons an average halftime lead of 14.7 points.
Northeastern State is averaging only 64.3 points per game, compared to 82.3 for Harding. The RiverHawks are led in scoring by senior guard Dominique Gaines, who averages 15.0 points. Junior forward Justin Johnson averages 9.0 points and a team-leading 7.0 rebounds.
Last season, Harding defeated Northeastern State 68-63 in Searcy. Matt Garner made four three-pointers in the game and led Harding with 18 points. Kirk Porter had 16. The Bisons have won the last two against the RiverHawks, also winning 53-48 in Canyon, Texas on Nov. 23.
