SEARCY – After playing five of its first six games away from home, the Harding men's basketball team returns to Searcy for its next two games, beginning with a 7:30 p.m. tip-off against Champion Baptist on Thursday.

ON THE WEB: Live video, live audio, and live statistics will all be available for the game on HardingSports.com. The links are available below the game on the calendar on the front page.

HARDING'S PROBABLE STARTERS

NOTES ON THE HARDING-CHAMPION BAPTIST GAME

Harding enters the game with a 5-1 record after collecting a pair of wins against Gulf South Conference East Division teams over the Thanksgiving holiday. The Bisons defeated West Georgia 79-65 on Saturday and completed a remarkable comeback to defeat West Alabama 69-68 on Monday.

Free throws continue to be a key for the Bisons early in the season. Harding averages a GSC-best 24.2 made free throws per game. The Bisons are second in the conference, shooting 75.5 percent from the line. Harding senior Stephen Blake ranks fifth in the conference in free throw percentage at 85.7 percent.

Champion Baptist, a member of the Association of Christian College Athletics, located in Hot Springs, Ark., enters Thursday's game with a 0-7 record. The Tigers are coming off a 72-57 loss to Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College on Tuesday. Champion Baptist won the ACCA national championship last season with a victory over Shepherd Film Academy of Memphis, Tenn., in the finals.

Harding is coached by Jeff Morgan, in his 18th season as head coach of the Bisons. He has a 294-194 record. Clint Fredericks is in his sixth season as head coach at Champion Baptist.

Harding holds a 5-0 series lead over Champion Baptist. The Bisons average 96.6 points per game in the series and allow only 47.6 points. Harding won the last meeting 89-38 in Searcy last season.

The Bisons have three players averaging double figures, led by Stephen Blake at 14.3 points per game. Senior Kevin Brown averages 12.5 points per game and sophomore Bradley Spencer averages 12.3.

Blake is also one of the top three-point shooters in the GSC. He has connected on 10-of-15 (66.7 percent) three-pointers, tied for second in the conference in three-point field goal percentage. Freshman Hayden Johnson is fifth, hitting 10-of-18 (55.6 percent).

Harding freshman point guard Weston Jameson is 10th in the GSC in assist-to-turnover ratio. He leads the team with 18 assists and has just 13 turnovers. Jameson is also tied for the team lead with eight steals.

Senior Kevin Brown ranks second at Harding in career blocked shots with 101. He is just five blocks behind Harding's career leader Brent Adams, who had 106 from 1994-99.