SEARCY – The 22nd-ranked Harding men's basketball team goes in search of its sixth straight victory Monday when it hosts Arkansas-Monticello at the Rhodes Field House. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m.
The game, which had to be moved to Monday after last Thursday's snow storm, will be broadcast live in Searcy on KVHU-95.3 FM radio. Live audio, video and statistics will be available on HardingSports.com.
Harding enters the game 14-2 overall and 4-0 in Gulf South Conference West Division play. The 14-2 start is Harding's best-ever after 16 games. The Bisons 4-0 start is only its second perfect four-game start in 11 seasons in the GSC. Harding was also 4-0 in 2004 but has never started 5-0 in the GSC.
Harding upset 19th-ranked Christian Brothers 68-58 on Saturday in Memphis. It was the first time Harding played as a ranked team against another ranked team, and it was Harding's second straight win over a ranked Christian Brothers team. Harding is now 5-2 against Christian Brothers when the Bucs are nationally ranked.
Harding junior Kirk Porter is coming off his best game of the season. He had 19 points and a career-high 16 rebounds against Christian Brothers. Porter also led the team with four assists.
The Bisons have made 29-of-60 (48.3 percent) three-pointers over the last three games and have moved into second in the GSC in three-point field goal percentage (40.5). Harding has three of the top five 3-point shooters in the GSC—Stephen Blake (1st, 56.7), Hayden Johnson (4th, 45.5) and Bradley Spencer (4th, 45.5).
Blake leads the GSC in both free throw percentage (85.5) and three-point field goal percentage (56.7).
Harding has won 11 of its last 12 games and is 7-1 at home.
The Bisons have limited their opponents to less than 50 percent shooting from the field in 15 straight games.
Arkansas-Monticello enters the game with a 10-6 overall record and a 2-2 mark in the GSC West. The Boll Weevils have lost four of their last six, but both GSC losses were by just three points. UAM's conference victories were both at home over Henderson State (69-56) and Ouachita Baptist (64-59).
The Boll Weevils' top three scorers are all transfers from Wallace State Community College and came to Arkansas-Monticello with first-year coach Allen Sharpe. LA Farmer averages 18.4 points, Sergio Crowe averages 14.9 points, and Ricardo Hall averages 14.6 points.
Senior Jerrell Boswell, a transfer from the University of Maine, leads the GSC with 3.6 three-pointers made per game.
Arkansas-Monticello ranks second in the GSC with only 12.8 turnovers per game. The Boll Weevils rank last among GSC West teams in field goal percentage defense (44.8).
