Harding Game Notes

Harding Men's Basketball

Harding (5-5, 2-2) vs. Henderson State (6-6, 2-2)

Location: Rhodes Field House, Searcy, Ark.

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Series: HSU leads 72-39

Coaches: Harding – Jeff Morgan (354-227, 21st season at HU; 371-237, 22nd season overall); Henderson State - Doug Nichols (36-30, 3rd season at HSU)

Live Stats/Audio/Video: Available through a link on HardingSports.com

Radio: KVHU-95.3 FM (Billy Morgan and Scott Goode)

• Harding plays its first home game in 35 days Thursday as it hosts Henderson State in Great American Conference action at the Rhodes Field House. The Bisons are 2-1 at home this season.

• Harding enters the game ranked second in the GAC with 11.7 turnovers per game. Over the last four games, the Bisons have averaged 8.3 per game and had a season-low five vs. Northeastern State (11/30).

• Harding returns to action after winning twice in Oklahoma over the weekend. The Bisons defeated Southwestern Oklahoma 89-65 on Thursday and Northwestern Oklahoma 69-63 on Saturday. Hayden Johnson led the Bisons in scoring in both games (49 points, 24.5 avg.) and earned GAC Player of the Week.

• Henderson State is coming off an 87-78 home victory over Southern Nazarene on Saturday. Deoirvay Johnson made three 3-pointers and led the Reddies with 22 points. Henderson State shot 50 percent and outscored Southern Nazarene 40-18 in the paint.

• Harding enters the game as the GAC's leader in three statistical categories. The Bisons are tops in the conference in free throw percentage (76.7%), three-point field goal percentage (9.1), and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.16).

Inside the Series:
•    Harding and Henderson State will be meeting for the 112th time. The Reddies lead the series 72-39 overall and 29-24 in Searcy. Since 2008, Harding has won nine of the last 12, and the teams have split their four meetings as GAC opponents.

•    Harding senior Hayden Johnson has played in five career games against Henderson State with four starts. He is averaging 11.2 points and shooting 54% from the field and 83% (20-of-24) from the free throw line.

•    Only two Henderson State players that played against Harding last season are back. Melvin Haynes averaged 13.0 points and 3.0 rebounds, and Taylor Smith averaged 5.0 points in the teams' two meetings.

Additional Harding Notes:
•    Upcoming milestones: Weston Jameson is playing his 100th career game ... Jameson needs one 3-pointer for 100 career ... Jameson needs seven assists to move into seventh on HU's career list ... Hayden Johnson will play his 100th game on Saturday at Ouachita Baptist ... Johnson needs 25 points to become the 34th Harding player with 1,000 career points.

•    Hayden Johnson has led Harding in scoring in all four of the Bisons' conference games this season. He scored a season-high 33 points vs. Southern Nazarene, 19 vs. East Central, and 26 vs. Southwestern Oklahoma. Johnson averages 26.0 points and shoots 61% from the field. He has also made 30 of Harding's 68 free throws in GAC games.

•    Harding leads the GAC in free throw percentage at 76.7 percent. The Bisons have shot better than 70 percent from the line in eight of their 10 games and 80 percent or better six times.
•    Harding leads the GAC with 9.1 3-pointers per game. The Bisons have made more than 10 3-poiners four times, including a season-high 13 3-pointers vs. Northeastern State (11/30) and at Southwestern Oklahoma (1/2). The Bisons have shot 20 or more 3-pointers in every game.

•    Harding leads the GAC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.16. The Bisons have had more assists than turnovers in three of their last four games with 59 assists and 33 assists for a 1.79 ratio.

Opponent Notes:
•    Henderson State is a charter member of the Great American Conference and is located in Arkadelphia, Ark.

•    The Reddies are 6-6 overall and 2-2 in conference play. Henderson State has won only three times in its last nine games after opening the season 3-0. The Reddies are 2-3 on the road and have lost three of their last four road games.

•    Henderson State is coached by Doug Nichols, who is in his third season in Arkadelphia. Nichols is a 2005 graduate of Texas A&M and has has assistant coaching stops at Angelina College, Stephen F. Austin, and Arkansas Tech.

•    The Reddies enter the game ranked second in the GAC and 47th in Division II in 3-point field goal percentage (39.5). Henderson State has made 96 3-pointers, second only to Southern Nazarene's 108 among GAC teams.

•    Henderson State features a balanced scoring attack with five players averaging 10.0 or more points. Deoirvay Johnson, despite starting only two games, leads the team with 14.0 points per game. Melvin Haynes, once of only two returning players from last season's Henderson State team, is second with 12.5 points per game.