WEATHERFORD, Okla. – The 18th-ranked Harding men's basketball will look to bounce back from its first loss in almost seven weeks Saturday at 4 p.m. when the Bisons take on Southwestern Oklahoma State at Rankin Williams Field House.

Harding (17-4, 10-3) remains in first place in the Great American Conference despite falling 80-61 to Northwestern Oklahoma State on Thursday in Alva. The Bisons are 1 1/2 games ahead of Arkansas Tech and Northwestern.

Harding trailed Northwestern by 17 points at halftime after the Rangers shot 65 percent from the field in the first half and made 6-of-8 3-point attempts. The Bisons closed the gap to 11 points at 61-50 on a Jacob Gibson 3-pointer with just over nine minutes left but got closer.

It was Harding's first loss since falling 69-66 to St. Edward's in Hawaii on Dec. 17 and ended the Bisons' school-record 10-game winning streak.

Southwestern Oklahoma (8-12, 7-7) fell for the fifth time in its last six games Thursday in a 60-57 home loss to Arkansas Tech. Marin Zelalija made seven of the Bulldogs' 10 3-pointers and scored 23 points. Arkansas Tech outscored Southwestern 17-7 at the free throw line.

The Bulldogs are in a three-way tie for fourth place among teams eligible for the GAC Tournament.

Harding and Southwestern are meeting for the second time this season. The Bisons defeated the Bulldogs 76-54 on Jan. 3 in Searcy. Freshman Tony Cochran made five 3-pointers and led Harding with 20 point in the victory. Southwestern shot just 36 percent, made 3-of-13 3-pointers, and missed 11 of their 26 free throws.

The game will air live in Searcy on KVHU 95.3-FM and a live audio link will be available on HardingSports.com.