Game Notes

SEARCY – The Harding women's basketball team will play their final regular season game on Saturday as they host Southeastern Oklahoma State at 2 p.m., in Great American Conference action at the Rhodes Field House. The Lady Bisons will recognize Katie Dunn, HU's only senior, after the game.

Harding heads into the game with a 17-8 overall record and a 13-6 GAC record. The Lady Bisons are tied with East Central for third place in the GAC standings. The top eight teams will advance to the postseason conference tournament held in Bartlesville, Okla., on March 7-10.

The Lady Bisons are coming off a 69-67 loss at Arkansas Tech on Thursday.  It was the first time this season HU has lost by five or fewer points. Sophomore guard Montana Lewis captured her fourth double-double of the season as she led HU with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Junior forward Lauren Harrison tied a career-high with 12 points and had five rebounds.

The Lady Bisons fell at Southeastern Oklahoma State 72-60 when the two teams met in Durant, Okla., earlier this season. Harding was led by sophomore guard Shana Holmes who had 18 points. Montana Lewis had a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds. SOSU shot 47.9 percent from the field and made 22-of-27 free throws (81.5 percent). The Savage Storm was led by senior guard Bailey Welch who made 10-of-10 from the free throw line and finished with 14 points.

Harding is 10-1 at home this season as their only loss is against Arkansas Tech. Junior forward Kristen Celsor averages 18.1 points and 8.9 rebounds at home. Sophomore forward Arielle Saunders averages a double-double with 11.5 points and 10.1 rebounds. At home, the Lady Bisons are outscoring their opponents by 16.4 points per game. Harding averages 5.1 3-pointers 15.4 assists, 10.5 steals and 4.8 blocks at home.

HU is led on the season by Kristen Ceslor who averages 14.9 points, which ranks tied for sixth in the GAC. Sophomore guard Shana Holmes averages 12.6 points and Arielle Saunders averages 10.6 points.

Kristen Celsor leads Harding on the boards averaging 8.2 rebounds a game, which ranks fourth in the GAC. Sophomore forward Arielle Saunders ranks fifth in the GAC, averaging 7.7 rebounds and sophomore guard Montana Lewis ranks tenth in the GAC (6.9 rpg).

The Lady Bisons rank first in the GAC in scoring defense as they only allow their opponents to score 59.1 points per game.
In Harding's 17 wins, the Lady Bisons defense has come up big. HU has held their opponents below 34.2 percent from the field and forces 17.8 turnovers per game. The Lady Bisons also averages 9.5 steals and 4.5 blocks.

Kristen Celsor needs 17 points to get to 1,000 in her career. Celsor has scored 983 points and is averaging 12.0 points per game in her career. She would be the 13th player in Harding history to reach the milestone. Angie Dugger (1993-97) is HU's all-time scoring leader with 2,369 points.

Southeastern Oklahoma State heads into Saturday with a 10-15 overall record and an 8-11 GAC record. SOSU is currently in sixth place in the GAC standings.

The Savage Storm has lost their last three games. SOSU fell to Southwestern Oklahoma State 84-81, fell at Southern Nazarene 87-81 and then dropped a 69-62 game against East Central in Durant on Thursday. Sophomore guard Cheree Kiser led SOSU with 19 points and eight rebounds against ECU.

The Savage Storm rank second in the GAC in Scoring Offense (73.3) and free throw percentage (74.5)

Southeastern is led on the season by senior guard Bailey Welch who averages 13.0 points. Sophomore forward Haley Schaefer averages 10.2 points and leads SOSU on the boards, averaging 6.2 rebounds.

Check Hardingsports.com for links to the live audio, live video and live stats.