No. 23 Harding (13-2, 9-0 GAC) vs. No. 12 Arkansas Tech (14-1, 9-0 GAC)
Location: Searcy, Ark.
When: Thursday
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Coaches:
Harding – Tim Kirby (183-92, 10th season)
Arkansas Tech – Dave Wilbers (7th season)
Live Stats/Live Audio/Live Video– Available on a link at HardingSports.com
HARDING
- Harding will be looking for its 10th straight win on Thursday as they host No. 12 Arkansas Tech in Great American Conference action at the Rhodes Field House.
- The winner on Thursday will have sole possession of first place in the GAC standings. Both teams are currently tied for first with both having a 9-0 record.
- The Lady Bisons moved up to No. 23 in latest poll released on Tuesday. It marks 23 straight weeks Harding has been ranked which dates back to last season. The Lady Bisons have also been ranked 8th, 15th, 20th, 22nd and 25th this season. Harding joins Arkansas Tech (12th) as the only GAC schools in the poll.
- It will be the third time this season the Lady Bisons have played a ranked team. Harding defeated No. 22 Delta State at home 65-40 but fell to No. 8 West Texas A&M 67-65 on the road. The Lady Bisons are 9-43 all-time against ranked opponents and are 7-17 at home. The Lady Bisons are 2-0 in the last two years against ranked opponents at home. Along with Delta State, Harding defeated No. 5 Central Missouri 96-67 last season.
- The Lady Bisons are coming off a 69-53 home win over Southern Nazarene last Saturday. Harding was led by senior forward Arielle Saunders who had 16 points and 10 rebounds for her 11th double-double of the season.
- The Lady Bisons are led on the season Arielle Saunders who ranks sixth in the GAC in scoring, averaging 16.3 points and ranks second in the GAC in rebounds, averaging 11.0 per game. She also ranks third in the GAC in field goal percentage, shooting 57.1 percent from the field.
- Saunders needs 79 more rebounds to become only the third player in Harding history to have 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Angie Dugger (1993-97) and Nancee Wilson (1989-93) are the only players to accomplish the feat. Saunders currently has 921 career rebounds and is in third place all time at Harding. She needs 173 rebounds to move into second place.
- Senior guard Montana Lewis also averages in double figures for Harding. She is second on the team in points averaging 10.5 per game and second on the team in rebounds averaging 5.9 per game. Lewis picked up her 600th career rebound and her 200th career free throw against Southern Nazarene last Saturday.
- Sophomore guard A'ndrea Haney has been doing the dirty work for Harding this season. Haney leads the GAC in assists averaging 3.9 per game and leads the GAC in steals averaging 2.1 per game. She also needs one more point to reach 400 in her career.
- Harding ranks first in the GAC in scoring defense (57.1 points) and field goal percentage defense (34.2 percent). The Lady Bisons rank second behind Arkansas Tech in three categories – scoring offense (74.5 pointS), scoring margin (+17.5 points) and field goal percentage (45.1 percent).
- Freshman guard Lundon Williams has made a team-high 20 3-point field goals this season. As a team, Harding has made 100 3-pointers. Six Lady Bisons have made over 10 3-pointers this season. Along with Williams, Montana Lewis has made 18, freshman guard Falan Miller has made 14, senior guard Tabitha Haney has made 13, sophomore forward Correy Moyer has made 11 and A'ndrea Haney has made 10. Harding has made over 100 3-pointers every year since the 1991-92 season. The Lady Bisons made a school record 249 last season.
- Harding will also be looking for its ninth straight win at home Thursday. The Lady Bisons are averaging 21.0 more points than their opponents at home. They are also shooting 45.4 percent from the field and are holding their opponents to shooting 33.0 percent. Harding is shooting 36.2 percent from behind the 3-point line at home and is holding its opponents to shooting 27.9 percent from behind the arc. The Lady Bisons are averaging 44.5 rebounds at home and is outrebounding its opponents by 11.1 rebounds.
ARKANSAS TECH
- Arkansas Tech heads into the game with a 14-1 overall record and a 9-0 GAC record. Their only loss came to Benedict at home 67-60.
- The Golden Suns are coming off an 84-72 overtime win at home against East Central. Junior forward Fatima Adams led Arkansas Tech with 26 points and 22 rebounds. It was their first overtime win this season.
- The Golden Suns are 5-0 on the road this season.
- It will be the second time this season Arkansas Tech has faced a rank opponent. The Golden Suns defeated No. 22 Delta State 72-61 at home.
- Arkansas Tech is led on the season by Fatima Adams who leads the GAC in scoring averaging 21.4 points per game. She also ranks third in the GAC in rebounding averaging 10.1 per game. Adams ranks sixth in the GAC in field goal percentage shooting 54.7 percent from the field.
- The Golden Suns rank first in the GAC in scoring offense averaging 80.5 points per game. They also rank first in scoring margin averaging 19.7 more points than its opponent. The Golden Suns are shooting 47.9 points from the field ranking first in the GAC.
SERIES
- Harding has won the last three meetings against Arkansas Tech all coming last season.
- Arielle Saunders averaged 9.3 points and 8.3 rebounds against the Golden Suns last season. A'ndrea Haney averaged 9.0 points and shot 61.5 percent from the field.
