ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The 20th-ranked Harding men's basketball team looks for its eighth win in its last nine games Thursday as it travels to meet Ouachita Baptist at Vining Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. The Bisons have won their last eight straight games against the Tigers, the longest winning streak for Harding in a series that dates to 1957.
The game will be broadcast live in Searcy on KVHU-95.3 FM radio. Live audio will be available on HardingSports.com.
Harding enters the game 16-3 overall and 6-1 in Gulf South Conference West Division play. The Bisons are ½-game behind West Division leaders Arkansas Tech and two games ahead of Christian Brothers and Delta State for third place.
Harding has a 5-2 overall record on the road and a 2-1 mark in conference. Senior Stephen Blake is Harding's leading scorer on the road this season, averaging 12.4 points. He and Bradley Spencer have combined to shoot 25-of-44 from 3-point range on the road, 56.8 percent.
The Bisons went 1-1 last week and dropped from 19th to 20th in the national poll and from 3rd to 7th in the NCAA II South Region Rankings.
Senior Kevin Brown has retaken the scoring lead among Bison players. He is averaging 13.7 points and has had 10 or more points in 10 of his last 11 games. In Harding's win over Henderson State on Saturday, Brown had 21 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.
Ouachita Baptist enters the game 7-12 overall and 2-5 in the GSC West. The Tigers are two games behind in the battle for the fourth and final GSC Tournament spot. OBU's conference wins came at home against Southern Arkansas and at Henderson State.
The Tigers are one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the conference. OBU connects on 9.5 3-pointers per game, tops among GSC West teams and seventh in Division II. The team is fourth in the GSC in 3-point field goal percentage at 38.0 percent. Sophomore Austin Mitchell is the top 3-point shooter for the Tigers. He ranks seventh in the GSC in 3-point field goal percentage (43.4) and fourth in the GSC and 15th nationally in 3-pointers per game (3.3).
Ouachita Baptist ranks in the bottom third of Division II schools in 3-point field goal defense (36.4), free throw percentage (64.0), rebound margin (-2.3) and fouls per game (22.8). Only 17 teams in Division II foul more often than the Tigers.
Harding and Ouachita Baptist are meeting for the 116th time. The Tigers lead the all-time series 64-51 overall and 35-20 in Arkadelphia. The Bisons have won the last three meetings in Arkadelphia and four of the last five.
Harding won the first meeting between the teams this season 59-55 at the Rhodes Field House on Jan. 8. Kevin Brown led the Bisons in scoring with 16 points and set a career high with seven steals. Jeremy Banks had 15 points to lead OBU. Harding got to the free throw line 35 times and made 21. Ouachita Baptist was just 5-of-11 at the line.
Harding and Henderson State are meeting for the 106th time. The Reddies lead the all-time series 71-34 overall and 29-21 in Searcy. Harding has won the last three meetings in Searcy. In addition to their regular-season meetings, Harding and Henderson State have played twice in the GSC Tournament (2003 and 2007) and once at the NCAA II National Tournament (2003).
