SEARCY – The Harding women's basketball team looks to take sole possession of fourth place in the Great American Conference on Saturday as they travel to Arkadelphia, Ark., to face Ouachita Baptist at 2 p.m. The Lady Bisons and the Lady Tigers are tied for fourth in the GAC standings.
Harding (14-7, 10-5 GAC) is coming off a 76-69 overtime win against Henderson State on Thursday. It was HU's first overtime win since 2008 against St. Edwards as the Lady Bisons won 91-87. Junior forward Kristen Celsor led Harding with 23 points. Celsor knocked down two free throws and had a block to send the game into overtime. Senior guard Deshelle Isaac-Boyce scored a career-high 16 points.
The Lady Bisons will try to even their road record on Saturday as they currently have a 5-6 road record. Harding is shooting 40.1 percent from the field and averaging 5.4 3-pointers a game on the road this season. The Lady Bisons have won four of their last six games on the road. Sophomore guard Shana Holmes is averaging 14.5 points and has hit 19 3-pointers on the road.
When the two teams met in Searcy earlier this season, Harding defeated Ouachita Baptist 66-58. The Lady Bisons' defense held Ouachita Baptist to shooting 31.3 percent from the field. Shana Holmes led HU with 16 points. Sophomore forward Arielle Saunders had a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Senior forward Monica Williams led OBU with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Harding leads the series between the two teams 33-27.
Harding has won 11 of their last 14 games with their losses coming against Arkansas Tech, Southern Nazarene and Southwestern Oklahoma State.
HU is led on the season by Kristen Ceslor who averages 15.0 points, which ranks seventh in the GAC. Sophomore guard Shana Holmes averages 13.0 points and Arielle Saunders averages 10.8 points.
Arielle Saunders leads Harding on the boards averaging 8.1 rebounds per game, which ranks fourth in the GAC. Kristen Celsor ranks fifth in the GAC (8.0 rpg) and sophomore guard Montana Lewis ranks ninth in the GAC (7.0 rpg).
Harding has had over 10 steals in a game seven times this season. HU went onto win five of those games.
When Harding has 15 or fewer turnovers in a game, the Lady Bisons are 10-2. Harding has had less than 10 turnovers in a game four times this season. HU went onto win all of those games.
The Lady Bisons rank first in the GAC in scoring defense as they only allow their opponents to score 60.0 points per game. HU ranks second in the GAC in steals averaging 9.1 a game.
In Harding's 14 wins, the Lady Bisons defense has come up big. HU has held their opponents to shooting below 35 percent from the field and forces 17.4 turnovers per game. The Lady Bisons also averages 9.4 steals and 4.4 blocks.
Ouachita Baptist heads into the game with a 15-6 overall record and 10-5 GAC record. The Lady Tigers have lost their last three games, including a 74-55 loss at Arkansas Tech on Thursday.
Ouachita Baptist ranks first in the GAC in 3-point field goal percentage defense (25.9). OBU ranks second in the GAC in Blocks Shots (4.8) and assist/turnover ratio (0.8).
The Lady Tigers are led by senior forward Monica Williams who averages 19.1 points per game, which ranks second in the GAC. Williams also ranks third in the GAC in rebounds, averaging 9.9 a game. Junior guard Nashia James ranks sixth in the GAC in scoring, averaging 15.1 points per game.
Check Hardingsports.com for links to live stats and live audio.
