HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The Harding men's basketball team beat a Division I team for the first time Saturday, and it's possible that its next game will be even tougher. Head coach Jeff Morgan's squad plays its third straight road game Monday against Alabama-Huntsville, the No.2-ranked team in Division II.
Harding and Alabama-Huntsville will tip-off at Spraggins Hall at 7 p.m.
The Bisons and Chargers all-time series only began in 2002, but it has become a circle-it-on-the-calendar matchup. The teams have met 16 times with both teams winning eight, and nobody will forget the two meetings last season any time soon.
On Dec. 17 last year, Harding and Alabama-Huntsville were tied at 72-72 after Bison senior guard Sam Brown drilled a 3-pointer while falling out of bounds with less than a second left. Overtime was eminent … until UAH's Josh Magette threw a length-of-the-court pass to Zane Campbell, whose reverse layup at the buzzer gave the Chargers the win.
The next meeting came at the Gulf South Conference Tournament in Southaven, Miss. Harding was coming off an 11-point victory over West Georgia in the tournament quarterfinals when it met heavily-favored Alabama-Huntsville in the semifinals. No one foresaw what happened next. The Chargers made one shot in the game's first 11 minutes and went 1-for-10 from 3-point range before halftime. The Bisons made nine first-half 3-pointers and won 82-51. The next day, Harding defeated Arkansas Tech for its first GSC Tournament championship.
Alabama-Huntsville, who is 4-1 to start the season, returns its three leading scorers from last year—Magette, Campbell and Jaime Smith. Harding lost its three leading scorers from last season, but has introduced a newcomer in DeAntra Scott who is already turning heads.
Scott is averaging 21.0 points and leads the team with 6.0 rebounds per game. He has made 8-of-11 shots from 3-point range and is shooting 80 percent from the free throw line. Junior Bradley Spencer has also been an offensive threat in the first two games, averaging 15.5 points and 3.5 rebounds.
Following the UAH game, Harding will return home for four straight games beginning Dec. 1 against Champion Baptist.
