No. 8 Harding (14-0, 6-0 GAC) vs. Southeastern Oklahoma (8-4, 5-1 GAC)
Location: Searcy, Ark.
When: Monday
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Coaches:
Harding – Tim Kirby (155-87, 9th season)
Southeastern Oklahoma – Darin Grover (121-87, 9th season)
Live Stats/Live Video – Available on a link at HardingSports.com
Harding
- Harding heads into the game with a 14-0 overall record and after Saturday's win, the Lady Bisons broke the 1996-97 team's record for the best start in program history.
- The Lady Bisons cracked the top 10 in this week's poll as Harding pulled in the eighth ranking. It's the highest Harding has been ranked in the WBCA poll. The Lady Bisons are one of only seven teams in the top 25 that is still undefeated, five of which rank above Harding.
- The Lady Bisons will play their third game in five days for the first time since in the regular season since the 2012 season when Harding played Ouachita Baptist, Southeastern Oklahoma and 14th ranked Arkansas Tech in five days. The Lady Bisons won two of the three games as they fell to Ouachita Baptist in overtime.
- Harding is coming off an 82-54 win at Ouachita Baptist on Saturday. The Lady Bisons were led by junior guard Shana Holmes who had 17 points, hitting 2-of-5 from 3-point range and 5-of-5 from the free throw line. It was the sixth time this season she has led Harding in scoring. She also picked up her 600th career point in the game.
- Kristen Celsor is leading Harding in scoring, averaging 18.4 points which ranks second in the GAC. Celsor is averaging 23.5 points in GAC action which ranks second.
- Junior forward Arielle Saunders needs 13 points to get to her 700th career point. Celsor is the only other active player that has scored over 700 points (1285 points).
- Harding is outscoring its GAC opponents by 20.7 points which ranks first. It's also 10.4 more points than Southeastern Oklahoma who is in second place.
- Shana Holmes is averaging two made 3-pointers a game and is averaging 13.3 points. As a team, Harding ranks second in GAC in 3-pointers made a game with averaging 8.5.
- Harding is averaging 41.6 rebounds per game which is 7.7 more than its opponents. Arielle Saunders leads the Lady Bisons on the boards, averaging 8.8 a game which ranks second in the GAC. Saunders has grabbed 15 rebounds in a game, three times.
- Harding's career blocks leader, Saunders, ranks second in the GAC averaging 1.3 per game.
- Junior guard Tabitha Haney is the only active Harding player that has hit over 100 career 3-pointers. Haney has hit 103 career 3-pointers. Other Harding players that are close to the mark are Celsor who has made 88 and Holmes who has made 81.
- Harding ranks third in the GAC in steals averaging 11 per game. Four Lady Bisons rank in the top 10 in the GAC. Senior guard Deshelle Isaac-Boyce ranks fifth and averages 2.1 a game. Freshman guard A'ndrea Haney ranks sixth, averaging two a game. Celsor ranks ninth, averaging 1.8 and Shana Holmes ranks 10th averaging 1.7 per game.
- Harding ranks first in the GAC in scoring defense (59.1), scoring margin (+21.5), field goal percentage (45.3), 3-point field goal percentage (38.1), assists (17.4) and assist/turnover ratio (1.4).
- Celsor needs one more 30-point performance to tie the Harding record for the most 30-point games in a season. Celsor currently has four this season and five in her career. Kymm Alexander (1990-94) and Angie Dugger (1993-97) hold the record for the most in a season with five. Alexander also holds the record for the most in a career with 11. Dugger is second with ten.
Southeastern Oklahoma
- Southeastern Oklahoma is located in Durant, Okla., and has an enrollment of 3,674.
- Southeastern Oklahoma heads into the game with an 8-4 overall record and a 5-1 GAC record. The Savage Storm currently is in second place in the GAC standings.
- Southeastern Oklahoma is coming off a 45-42 GAC loss to Northwestern Oklahoma on Saturday. It was their first conference loss of the season. Breana Small-Peppers led the Savage Storm with 15 points and Emily Williams grabbed 11 rebounds.
- It will be the second time Southeastern Oklahoma has played a ranked team this season. The Savage Storm fell to then ranked No. 10 Midwestern State (Texas) 79-72.
- The Savage Storm is 2-3 on the road as all their wins came in GAC action.
- Southeastern Oklahoma is led by sophomore forward Breana Small-Peppers who averages 11.9 points and ranks third in the GAC in rebounds, averaging 8.4 per game. Junior forward Haley Schaefer is close behind averaging 11.6 points and junior guard Emily Williams averages 10.2 points.
- Southeastern Oklahoma ranks first in the GAC in field goal percentage defense (33.9 percent) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (23.7 percent).
- Small-Peppers also rank fifth in the GAC in field goal percentage, shooting 52.2 percent from the field.
Series
- Harding leads the series 6-5
- Harding also holds the series record in Searcy, 4-1 as they Lady Bisons have won the last two meetings.
- Last season in Searcy, Harding won 83-69. Five Harding players scored in double-figures, led by Holmes who had 18 points, hitting three 3-pointers. Kristen Celsor, Montana Lewis and Deshelle Isaac-Boyce all had 13 points and Lauren Crenshaw had 12 points. Harding dominated the paint in the game 40-20.
