Harding Game Notes

No. 5 Harding (14-14) vs. No. 6 Henderson State (14-16)

Location: Bruin Fieldhouse, Bartlesville, Okla.

Time: 1 p.m.

Series: HSU leads 73-40

Coaches: Harding – Jeff Morgan (363-236, 21st season at HU; 380-246, 22nd season overall); Henderson State - Doug Nichols (44-40, 3rd season at Henderson State)

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)

• No. 5 seed Harding will make its first appearance in the GAC Tournament finals Sunday when the Bisons meet No. 6 seed Henderson State in Bartlesville, Okla., at 1 p.m. The Bisons will be looking for their first tournament title since the 2011 Gulf South Conference Tournament.

• Harding enters the game 14-14 overall and is now 3-2 in its three appearances at the GAC Tournament. Henderson State is 14-16 overall. The teams are meeting at a neutral site for the first time since the 2007 GSC Tournament in Southaven, Miss.

• Harding earned its berth in the finals with an 83-64 victory over Arkansas Tech on Saturday. The Bisons made 13 3-pointers and made 24-of-40 free throws. Weston Jameson scored a career-high 27 points and Hayden Johnson had 20 points and 10 rebounds.

• Henderson State defeated No. 7 seed Southern Arkansas 73-60 in Saturday's first semifinal. Reggie Murphy and Melvin Haynes both scored 14 points for the Reddies, who won despite shooting 37 percent.

• With its 13 3-pointers made against Arkansas Tech, Harding extended its GAC single-season record for 3-pointers in a season with 294. Arkansas Tech set the record at 266 in 2011-12. Harding's total is also a school record.

Inside the Series:
•    Harding and Henderson State are meeting for the 114th time with the Reddies leading the series 73-40. The teams split the two meetings this season with Harding winning 89-71 in Searcy and Henderson State winning 91-88 in Arkadelphia. The teams have played six times at neutral sites. Harding's lone win was a 70-69 victory came at the Evangel College Classic in Springfield, Mo., in 1987.
 
•    In the two meetings between the Bisons and Wonder Boys this season, Jacob Gibson has been Harding's top scorer, averaging 24.0 points. He has made 9-of-26 3-point attempts. Harding made 27 3-pointers and had 39 assists and 27 turnovers. Harding held a 78-55 rebound advantage in the two games.

•    Deoirvay Johnson did not start either game but averaged 17.5 points in the two games. He made 9-of-13 3-pointers. Charles Wesley averaged 16.5 points, and Kevin Kozan averaged 13.5 points.

Additional Harding Notes:
•    Upcoming milestones: Hayden Johnson became only the fifth Harding player with 150 career 3-pointers ... Johnson is 17th on HU's career scoring list (1,308 points) and needs 24 points to pass Freddie Dixon (1970-74, 1,331 points) for 16th ... Weston Jameson needs 22 assists to move past Steven Barnett (486, 2005-09) into third on Harding's career assist list ... Jacob Gibson needs nine 3s to set Harding's single-season record.

•    Harding's Weston Jameson scored 27 points in Harding's game against Arkansas Tech to break the Bisons' single-game scoring record in a GAC Tournament game. Zach Roddenberry held the record at 26 poins vs. Arkansas-Monticello in 2012.

•    Jameson also leads the GAC with 3.9 assists-per-turnover. He is on pace to be the top performer in the conference in that category for the third consecutive season. His assist-to-turnover ratio was 1.8 in 2011-12 and 2012-13.

•    Harding senior Hayden Johnson has scored 1,124 points in the three seasons the Bisons have been members of the GAC and is the conference's career scoring leader.

Opponent Notes:
•    Henderson State is a charter member of the Great American Conference and is located in Arkadelphia, Ark. Henderson State has had two players drafted in the NBA Draft: Danny Davis by the New York Knicks in the 7th Round in 1971 and Larry Duckworth by the Knicks in the 13th Round of the same draft.

•    The Reddies are 14-16 overall  and finished 8-12 in conference play. Henderson State has won its last three games and is a perfect 5-0 in neutral site games this season. The Reddies have won neutral site games in Bolivar, Mo., Fort Smith, Ark., Lawton, Okla., and twice in Bartlesville, Okla.

•    Doug Nichols, a 2005 graduate of Texas A&M, is in his thrid season as head coach at Henderson State. It is his first NCAA coaching job.

•    The Harding-Henderson State game is a matchup of two of the top 3-point shooting teams in the conference. The Bisons led the GAC with 10.4 3-pointers per game, and the Reddies have the top 3-point percentage (38.4).