BETHANY, Okla. – Harding senior Hayden Johnson scored a career-high 33 points but the 25th-ranked Bisons dropped their Great American Conference opener 87-76 to Southern Nazarene on Saturday at the Sawyer Center.

Harding fell to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the GAC, while Southern Nazarene improved to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in conference play.

Southern Nazarene junior CJ Smith entered the game as the GAC's leading scorer and dropped in 25 of his game-high 34 points in the second half. Smith hit 8-of-13 from the field and 17-of-19 free throws.

Harding held a 65-63 lead after freshman Will Francis' 3-pointer with 7:11 left in the game. The Bisons then went the next five and a half minutes without a field goal, as the Crimson Storm went on a 16-4 run. Southern Nazarene's Garrett Butler hit back-to-back 3-pointers to start the run, and the Crimson Storm led 79-69 after Francisco Hukill's 3-pointer with 2:03 left. Harding trailed by seven or more the rest of the way.

"We made some turnovers early in possessions that led to quick scores for them," Harding head coach Jeff Morgan said.

Johnson's career-high came on 10-of-14 shooting from the field and a 13-of-15 effort from the free throw line. Weston Jameson added 11 points and eight assists. Andraz Kavas and Jacob Gibson had 10 points each.

Harding led 18-8 at the first media timeout, but Southern Nazarene scored the next 15 points to take a 23-18 lead with 8:10 left in the half. The Crimson Storm had a 37-27 advantage at the 3:53 mark, but Harding responded with a 13-4 run down the stretch and trailed only 41-40 at halftime despite Southern Nazarene shooting 59 percent from the field.

"We came out of the gate and played well," Morgan said. "They made a run and got up 10. We made a run and got back into it."

Smith's second half performance was the difference in the game.

"We got some great looks at the end, but we can't give up 34 points to a perimeter player and expect to win," Morgan said.

Harding returns to action Tuesday in a non-conference matchup with Christian Brothers in Memphis, Tenn. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.