Harding Game Notes

Harding (12-11, 9-8) vs. Arkansas-Monticello (16-9, 9-8)

Location: Rhodes Field House

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Series: UAM leads 59-55

Coaches: Harding – Jeff Morgan (361-233, 21st season at HU; 378-243, 22nd season overall); Arkansas-Monticello - Allen Sharpe (67-42, 4th season at UAM)

Live Stats/Audio/Video: Available through a link on HardingSports.com - www.hardingsports.com/coverage.aspx

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

• Two teams tied for the fourth spot in the Great American Conference standings will do battle Saturday at the Rhodes Field House when Harding hosts Arkansas-Monticello at 7:30 p.m.

• Harding enters the game 12-11 overall and 9-8 in the GAC. The Bisons are in fourth place in the GAC standings among tournament-eligible teams. Arkansas-Monticello is 16-9 overall and 9-8 in conference and also in fourth place.

• Harding is coming off an 81-77 loss to Southern Arkansas on Thursday in Magnolia. The Muleriders made their first seven 3-point attempts in the second half and erased the Bisons' 35-33 halftime lead. Hayden Johnson led Harding with 24 points, and Will Francis added 15.

• Arkansas-Monticello defeated Arkansas Tech 70-49 Thursday in Monticello. The Boll Weevils held the Wonder Boys to only 17 second half points. Brandon Wilson led UAM with 21 points and the Boll Weevils connected on 8-of-14 3-pointers.

• Two of the top three scorers in the GAC will be on display Saturday at Rhodes Field House. UAM's Brandon Wilson is second in the conference with 18.0 points per game, and Harding's Hayden Johnson is third at 17.7 points per game.

Inside the Series:
•    Harding and Arkansas-Monticello are meeting for the 115th time with the Boll Weevils leading the series 59-55. Harding leads 35-22 in games played in Searcy and have won six of the last seven played at Rhodes Field House. Harding leads the series 3-2 in games played as GAC members.

•    Harding won the first meeting this season between the teams 89-87 on Jan. 18 in Monticello. The game went to double overtime with Jacob Gibson hitting the game-winning 3-pointer with 47 seconds left in the game. Hayden Johnson led Harding with 22 points and Will Francis added 16.

•    Brandon Wilson led Arkansas-Monticello with 25 points and 15 rebounds. The Boll Weevils shot 44 percent from the field and made 8-of-16 shots in the two overtime periods. UAM missed all five of its 3-pointers in overtime, including the potential game-winner.

Additional Harding Notes:
•    Upcoming milestones: Weston Jameson needs 26 assists to move past Darren McCrillis (456, 2000-04) into fourth on Harding's career assist list ... Hayden Johnson needs five blocked shots to pass Zach Roddenberry for third place on Harding's career list ... Johnson is 20th on HU's career scoring list (1,215 points) and needs five points to pass Bill Chism (1968-72, 1,219 points) for 19th and 12 points to pass Bob McKeel (1,226, 1965-69) for 18th ... Jacob Gibson needs two 3-pointers to move into HU's single season top 10.

•    Harding has made 225 3-point field goals this season, good for fifth on the Bisons' single-season list. Harding set the school record last season with 259 3-pointers made. This season's Bisons could jump to third with six 3-pointers made against Arkansas-Monticello.

•    In its third season in the GAC, Harding is 15-10 vs. Oklahoma opponents and 15-13 vs. Arkansas opponents.

•    Harding senior Weston Jameson, the GAC's leader in assists, has 127 assists on the season. He needs 17 assists to reach the Harding single-season top 10. Harding Hall of Famer Hubie Smith holds the Bisons' single-season record with 209 in 1980-81.

Opponent Notes:
•    Arkansas-Monticello is a charter member of the Great American Conference and is located in Monticello, Ark. Arkansas-Monticello was founded in 1910 as Fourth District Agricultural School.

•    The Boll Weevils are 16-9 overall and 9-8 in conference play. Arkansas-Monticello is 4-5 on the road, all in conference games. UAM has lost its last two road games.

•    Allen Sharpe, a 2000 graduate of Lipscomb, is in his fourth season at Arkansas-Monticello. It is his first head coaching job at a four-year school.

•    Arkansas-Monticello is the top rebounding team in the Great American Conference. The Boll Weevils have a +4.9 rebounding margin and average a GAC-best 13.1 offensive rebounds per game. UAM also has a 36.5 offensive rebound percentage, the highest in the conference.

•    UAM senior Brandon Wilson ranks second in the GAC in scoring at 18.0 points per game. He is sixth in the conference in rebounding, (7.6), sixth in field goal percentage (58.0), fourth in blocked shots (1.7), first in offensive rebounds (3.2) and eighth in defensive rebounds (4.3).