BETHANY, Okla. – The 24th-ranked Harding men's basketball team used a huge run to start the second half that propelled the Bisons to a 71-58 victory over Southern Nazarene in Great American Conference action at the Sawyer Center.

With the victory, Harding (17-3, 10-2) moved 2 1/2 games ahead of Arkansas Tech for the lead in the GAC standings with eight games remaining in conference play. The Bisons were a perfect 9-0 in the month of January and extended their winning streak to a school-record 10 games.

Southern Nazarene (10-8, 5-7) entered the game as the top shooting team in the GAC, but shot only 35 percent and fell to 4-4 at home. The Crimson Storm is a provisional member of the conference and is not eligible for the GAC Tournament until next season.

Harding was outscored 20-6 in the paint in the first half and trailed 36-30 at halftime. The Bisons made six 3-pointers in the half to keep the game close.

Harding, which won on the road in Oklahoma for the first time in two seasons in the GAC, opened the second half on a 26-6 run and shot 56 percent after halftime. The Bisons outscored the Crimson Storm 41-22 in the second half, limiting Southern Nazarene to only 26.5 percent shooting.

Harding quickly erased the halftime deficit with senior Bradley Spencer giving the Bisons the lead for good on a 3-point play with 15:26 left. Harding led 41-39 and extended the advantage with a 9-1 run over the next three minutes.

The Bisons took their largest lead of the second half on a Hayden Johnson 3-pointer that gave Harding a 59-43 advantage with just over eight minutes left.

Senior Zach Roddenberry scored 11 of his team-high 19 points in the second half. Spencer and Johnson both scored 11 points. Adam Sterrenberg paced Harding with seven rebounds and Weston Jameson had five assists.

Junior Antwone Jackson led Southern Nazarene with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Tyrone Lyons and Ryan Aaron, the second-leading scorer in the GAC, each had 11 points.

Harding does not play Saturday but returns to Oklahoma next Thursday for the second of three straight on the road. The Bisons meet Northwestern Oklahoma State in Alva before taking on Southwestern Oklahoma State on Saturday in Weatherford.