SEARCY – Harding's Great American Conference opener might be its first game in a new conference, but the opponent is very familiar. Harding and Southern Arkansas have met every season since 1957 and square off for the 111th time Saturday at the Rhodes Field House at 7:30 p.m.
The game will air live in Searcy on KVHU 95.3-FM with Billy Morgan and Scott Goode on the call. Live audio, video, and statistics will be available on HardingSports.com.
Harding (5-5) is coming off a 93-54 blowout of Shepherd Tech on Tuesday that snapped a four-game skid. Senior forward Kirk Porter, who seemed fully recovered from a foot injury, had his best outing of the season, scoring 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting. Junior forward Zach Roddenberry continued his outstanding play this season, hitting 7-of-10 shots and scoring 16 points.
Roddenberry, a native of Conyers, Ga., is leading Harding with 12.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He leads the GAC in field goal percentage at 74.6 percent and has made 13-of-14 free throws in the last three games.
The Bisons held Shepherd Tech to 0-of-16 from 3-point range, one game after yielding 17 3-pointers in a loss to St. Edward's. It was the first time an opponent went without a 3-pointer since Henderson State shot 0-of-10 in a loss to Harding in 2006.
Southern Arkansas enters the game with the second-longest current winning streak in the GAC. The Muleriders are 8-5 overall and have won their last four, including a 69-66 victory over Southeastern Oklahoma State on Thursday in the conference opener for both teams.
Juvon Demerson, a 6-foot-11 sophomore center who transferred to Southern Arkansas from Midland College in Texas, led the Muleriders with 16 points. SAU forced 26 turnovers and won despite shooting only 3-of-18 from 3-point range.
Another transfer, 5-foot-11 junior guard Rodney Hill, leads Southern Arkansas in scoring. Hill came to the Muleriders from Southern University-Shreveport and averages 14.1 points and a team-high 5.5 assists.
Harding has won the last three meetings between the two teams. Last season, the Bisons won 72-58 in Magnolia and 97-79 in Searcy. Harding has won the last nine meetings in Searcy dating back to 2002.
