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Highlights and postgame interview with Head Coach Jeff Morgan



BARTLESVILLE, Okla. – The Harding men's basketball will play Henderson State in the championship game of the Great American Conference Tournament on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Harding (14-14) connected on 13-of-25 3-pointers, including its first three of the second half, and defeated No. 1 seed Arkansas Tech 83-64 on Saturday in the semifinals. No. 6 seed Henderson State defeated No. 7 seed Southern Arkansas 73-60 in the other semifinal setting up Sunday's showdown.

"What a ride and what a journey. I'm just glad it's not over yet," Harding head coach Jeff Morgan said.

Harding lost both meetings with Arkansas Tech by one point during the regular season with the Wonder Boys winning both on shots with less than one second remaining.

The Bisons shot 52 percent in the first half against the Wonder Boys on Saturday and made 6-of-12 from 3-point range to lead 36-33 at halftime.

"We led Arkansas Tech at halftime in both of our earlier games and could not hold the lead," Harding point guard Weston Jameson said. "We talked a lot at halftime about being aggressive and getting good looks early in the second half."

The Bisons got those good looks and hit the shots. Harding shot 55 percent in the second half and made 7-of-13 3-pointers. Harding also got the ball inside and drew 15 fouls on Arkansas Tech. The Bisons made 16-of-28 free throws in the second half and 24-of-40 for the game. The 40 free throw attempts were the most by the Bisons this season.

Harding outscored Arkansas Tech 47-31 in the second half. The Wonder Boys shot only 34 percent after the break and 39 percent for the game.

"We really stepped up on defense," Hayden Johnson said. "We had not gotten stops down the stretch but today we got a lot of stops when we needed them."

The Bisons led by as many as 22 in the second half.

Jameson, who had 17 points and 11 assists in Harding's quarterfinals victory over East Central, was again the catalyst of the Bison offense. He scored a career-high 27 points, made 5-of-7 3-pointers, and added six rebounds and six assists.

"Not bad for a point guard who does not score very much," Morgan said of Jameson's effort.

Johnson, a 1st Team All-GAC honoree, had 20 points and 10 rebounds. He made 10-of-19 free throws, the most attempts by a Harding player since Kevin Brown shot 21 against North Alabama in 2010.

Blake McNair scored 13 for Harding. Jacob Gibson and Will Francis both scored all of their points in the second half. Gibson had nine, and Francis scored eight.

Tech guard Bobby Hatchett led the Wonder Boys with 14 points.

The two teams combined for only 10 turnovers.

"What an incredible game," Morgan said. "It was awesome to watch."