SEARCY – Harding junior Hayden Johnson scored a career-high 30 points and senior Bradley Spencer had a go-ahead dunk that shook the foundation of the Rhodes Field House as the Bisons defeated Northeastern State 65-63 on Thursday.

The victory gave Harding its first 5-0 start to a season since 1995-96 and dealt Northeastern State (5-1) its first loss.

Harding, who trailed 32-29 at halftime, tied the game six different times in the second half but did not take the lead until the 2:45 mark. With the score tied 60-60, Harding guard Tony Cochran missed a 3-pointer from the top of the key, but Spencer came from the right side, jumped over a Northeastern State defender and slammed in a left-handed, put-back dunk that sent the Rhodes Rowdies into a frenzy.

Three straight points from Northeastern State's Bryton Hobbs gave the RiverHawks the lead back at 63-62 with 1:30 left, but Harding answered with a layup from Zach Roddenberry to take the lead for good.

Northeastern State missed a layup on its next possession and then fouled Harding guard Weston Jameson, who made 1-of-2 free throws to give the Bisons a 64-62 lead with 26 seconds left.

Roddenberry recovered a deflected pass on Northeastern State's next trip, and Spencer was fouled with three seconds left. He missed the front end of the 1-and-1, and Hobbs' half-court shot at the buzzer hit the back of the rim and bounced away.

Johnson kept the Bisons in the game in the first half, scoring 19 of Harding's 29 points. He made 10-of-12 from the field, including 5-of-6 from 3-point range. He also added eight rebounds and a career-high four blocked shots.

Roddenberry scored 12 points and led Harding with nine rebounds.

Northeastern State, a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, came into the game shooting an astounding 56 percent from the field. The RiverHawks connected on a season-low 37.7 percent of their shots against Harding. In the second half, Northeastern State shot only 33 percent, while Harding hit 56.5 percent and made six 3-pointers.

Ethan Anderson led Northeastern State with 14 points, and Jermaine Bransford added 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Hobbs, a junior who averages 19.2 points and entered the game shooting 63 percent, made only 2-of-12 shots and finished with eight points.

Harding plays the final game of its six-game home stand to open the season Saturday when it hosts Southern Nazarene at 4 p.m.