SEARCY – The Harding men's basketball team, coming off a 21-day holiday break, opens Gulf South Conference play Saturday against Ouachita Baptist at Rhodes Field House. The Bisons are 10-2 after the non-conference portion of their schedule, their second-best 12-game start in program history.
ON THE WEB: Live video, live audio and live statistics will all be available for the game on HardingSports.com. The links are available on the site's front page.
Harding's three week layoff is its longest holiday break since 2001-02, when the Bisons' had a 22-day break from Dec. 14 through Jan. 5.
Harding is 4-6 in its previous 10 Gulf South Conference openers, but has won three of its last five, including a 94-54 victory over Henderson State to open conference play last season. Harding and Ouachita Baptist have never opened conference play against each other during their time in the GSC.
Through the first 12 games, Harding has made 273 free throws, second only in Division II to Florida Tech's 290 free throws made. However, Florida Tech has played 14 games to Harding's 12. The Bisons have made 15 more free throws this season than their opponents have attempted (273-258).
Harding has 10 or more wins after 12 games for only the third time in program history. The Bisons started 11-1 in 1995-96 and 10-2 in 1994-95. The 1995-96 team started 13-1 en route to a 24-6 season record.
Ouachita Baptist enters the game with a 5-7 record and a two-game winning streak. The Tigers are coming off a 78-55 victory over Central Baptist on Tuesday. Sophomore guard Austin Mitchell came off the bench, connected on six three-pointers, and scored a team-high 20 points. OBU shot only nine free throws in the game, hitting six.
Mitchell is the Tigers leading scorer this season, averaging 14.7 points per game. He ranks 15th in Division II with 3.75 three-pointers made per game.
Harding and Ouachita Baptist are two of the top three-point shooting teams in the conference. Harding is third in the GSC at 39.2 percent shooting, with Ouachita Baptist next at 37.6 percent. The Tigers are first among GSC West schools and eighth in Division II with 9.7 three-pointers made per game.
Harding is coached by
Jeff Morgan, in his 18th season as head coach of the Bisons. Morgan has a 298-196 record at Harding and is 27-9 in his career against Ouachita Baptist. Mark Price is 13-26 in his second season as head coach at Ouachita Baptist.
Harding and Ouachita Baptist are meeting for the 115th time with the Tigers holding a 64-50 series lead. Harding holds a 29-26 lead in games played in Searcy. The Bisons have won the last seven straight, the longest winning streak for Harding in the series. The Bisons have won five straight meetings in Searcy.
