Harding Game Notes

SEARCY – Harding and Southern Arkansas are on opposite ends of the Great American Conference standings, but Thursday's game at Rhodes Field House could prove pivotal to both teams.

Harding (17-7, 10-6 GAC) is fifth in the first NCAA Central Region Rankings and needs to halt a four-game losing streak to keep the possibility of a fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament alive. The top eight teams in the region advance to the national tournament in March. The Bisons are also only one game behind Arkansas Tech for the top spot in the GAC standings.

Southern Arkansas (9-13, 5-11) is in eighth place among the nine teams eligible for the conference tournament. Only the top eight teams advance to the GAC Tournament in Bartlesville, Okla. The Muleriders are only one-half game ahead of East Central for the final tournament berth.

Harding and Southern Arkansas played a double-overtime thriller on Jan. 17 in Magnolia. Junior guard Weston Jameson scored six points in the second overtime to lead the Bisons to an 81-77 victory. Harding made 12 3-pointers in the game, including five by Tony Cochran, who led the Bisons with 21 points.

Southern Arkansas is coming off a 63-57 home loss to Southern Nazarene on Saturday. The Muleriders made 9-of-18 3-pointers but were outscored 18-4 at the free throw line. Southern Arkansas missed all four of its free throws in the first half and made only 4-of-7 in the second half.

Despite shooting a season-low 32 percent, Harding's comeback fell just short at Ouachita Baptist on Saturday. Zach Roddenberry led the Bisons with 23 points in the 60-56 loss. Hayden Johnson scored 14 points and Bradley Spencer had 12.

Thursday's game will air live on KVHU-95.3 FM in Searcy with Billy Morgan and Scott Goode on the call. Live audio, video and statistics will be available on HardingSports.com.