HIGHLIGHTS
Harding - Hayden Johnson: 24 points, 5 rebounds. Will Francis: 15 points, 6 rebounds.
Southern Arkansas - Nemo Sanches: 18 points.

MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Southern Arkansas made its first seven 3-point attempts in the second half and defeated Harding 81-77 on Thursday in Great American Conference action at the Watson Athletic Center.

Harding (12-11, 9-8) led 35-33 at halftime, but Southern Arkansas (11-12, 7-10) shot 59 percent in the second half and held on late for the victory.

The Bisons dropped into a tie with Arkansas-Monticello for fourth place in the conference standings. The Muleriders are seventh among the eight tournament-eligible teams.

Harding led 47-42 on a Will Francis layup with 14:06 left. Southern Arkansas went on a 19-4 run over the next six minutes and led the rest of the way. The Muleriders made three 3-pointers during the stretch and held the Bisons to 1-of-9 shooting.

A 3-pointer by Tre'von Wilkinson gave Southern Arkansas a 75-62 lead with 4:55 left. It was the Muleriders' largest lead of the second half. Southern Arkansas led 79-70 with 1:01 remaining, but Harding scored seven straight points in the next 41 seconds and cut the Mulerider lead to 79-77 on a Hayden Johnson layup with 20 seconds left. SAU's Duke Reed made 2-of-4 free throws down the stretch, and Harding missed its final two shots.

Johnson led Harding with 24 points. He was 8-of-16 from the field. Francis scored 15 points, and Jacob Gibson and Blake McNair had 13 each.

Nemo Sanchez made 6-of-7 3-point attempts and led Southern Arkansas with 18 points.