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SEARCY – The Harding women's basketball team takes on North Alabama in the opening round of the Gulf South Conference Tournament on Thursday at 5:30 p.m., at the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven, Miss. It is the third straight year the Lady Bisons have gone to the conference tournament and the first time they will play UNA in the postseason.
If the Lady Bisons win, it will be the first time Harding has advanced to the semifinals of the GSC Tournament.
LAST TIME: The game on Thursday will be the third time the two teams have met this season. North Alabama beat Harding 75-61 in Florence but Harding got revenge in Searcy with a 61-53 win. Between the two games, senior forward Stacey Owens had 28 points and 10 rebounds. North Alabama shot a 44.6 percent average between the two games, Harding shot 39.8 percent. Both teams shot 25 percent from behind the three-point line. In the two-game series, Dana Jackson had 36 points and shot 54.2 percent from the field for North Alabama.
COACHES: Harding is coached by Tim Kirby, who enters his fifth season at the helm of the Lady Bisons. Kirby has an 85-56 career record. Kirby took over the Lady Bison program before the 2005-06 season after serving 12 seasons as the Harding's men's basketball assistant.
North Alabama is coached by Terry Fowler, who enters his four season as the head coach of the Lions. Fowler has compiled a 59-55 record at North Alabama.
THE LADY BISONS: Harding (16-11, 8-6 GSC West Division) is coming off a 70-60 win over Ouachita Baptist this past Saturday night in Arkadelphia, Ark. Junior guard Bailey St. Clair led Harding with 16 points and nine rebounds.
The Lady Bisons are averaging 12.7 points off second chance opportunities. Harding averages 13.3 offensive rebounds a game, ranking seventh in the GSC. St. Clair leads the Lady Bisons in rebounds, averaging 5.8 a game. Three are offensive rebounds, ranking fourth in the GSC.
Rollins is shooting 50.5 percent from the field to lead the Lady Bisons. She has really come on strong during conference play, averaging 13.3 points and 6.6 rebounds. Nine times this season she has ended in double-figure scoring in GSC play. Rollins ranks second on the team in rebounds, averaging 5.5 a game.
The Lady Bisons are averaging 11.9 steals per game, ranking them second in the GSC and 26th in the NCAA. St. Clair leads the GSC in steals per game with an average of 3.1.
Harding is averaging 31 points in the paint this season. The Lady Bisons have had more than 20 points in a game in the paint all but one time this season. Against Henderson State, Harding only had 18 points in the paint.
St. Clair leads the Lady Bisons in scoring, averaging 13.9 points per game. Owens isn't fall behind her, averaging 13.7 points per game. Both players were named All-GSC Second team earlier this past week.
THE LIONS: North Alabama (17-13, 7-2 GSC East Division) is coming off a 84-61 win over Lambuth this past Saturday night. The Lions have won their last 5-of-6 games. The loss came against the Lady Bisons on Feb. 22.
North Alabama is a member of the GSC East Division is the number two seed from East.
Niala Harris leads the Lions, averaging 12.2 points per game. Harris also leads North Alabama in rebounds (6.3), field goals made (123), free throws made (111) and free throw percentage (79.3).
The SERIES: Harding leads the series, 9-5. The teams split during their meetings in the regular season. It is the first time the two teams have meet in the postseason.
