Basketball Bisons Host Southeastern in Saturday Showdown

Harding Game Notes

Harding (12-9, 10-5) vs. Southeastern Okla. (12-11, 8-7)
Feb. 14, 2015 • Rhodes Field House • Searcy, Ark. • 3 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW
Radio: KVHU 95.3-FM (Billy Morgan and Scott Goode)
Internet:
   Audio: www.HardingSports.com
   Video: www.HardingSports.com
Live Stats: www.HardingSports.com

THE COACHES
Jeff Morgan, Harding
   at Harding: 376-246 (21st season)
   Career: 393-256 (22nd season)
   vs. Southeastern Okla.: 8-8
Kelly Green, Southeastern Okla.
   at SOSU: 47-58 (4th season)
   Career: 55-76 (5th season)

THE SERIES
Series Record: Tied 8-8
in Searcy: HU leads 6-1
First Meeting: HU 76-54 (1/21/1998)
Last Meeting: SOSU 71-67 (1/10/2015)
Current Streak: SOSU, 2 games

KEY NOTES FOR TODAY'S GAME
Harding will play its next-to-last home game of the season Saturday as it hosts Southeastern Oklahoma for a 3 p.m. tipoff at the Rhodes Field House.

Harding enters the game with an 12-9 overall record and 10-5 GAC mark. The Bisons have won seven of their last eight games and are tied with East Central for second place in the GAC standings.

Harding is coming off a 79-52 victory over Southwestern Oklahoma on Saturday in Weatherford. Will Francis made a career-high eight 3-pointers and scored 28 points. The Bisons held the Bulldogs to 16 points in the second half.

Southeastern Oklahoma is in fifth place in the GAC and is coming off an 83-70 victory on Thursday at Arkansas-Monticello. Taylor Smaller made six 3-pointers and led the Savage Storm with 23 points. Southeastern shot 52 percent from the field but only 54 percent at the free-throw line.

Harding enters the game as the GAC's leader in field-goal percentage (48.1), free-throw percentage (73.3), and 3-point field goal percentage (40.1). The Bisons also lead the conference in assists (17.1) and 3-pointers per game (10.8).

Harding Team Notes:
Harding leads the GAC in scoring in conference games, averaging 77.0 points. The Bisons are also first in scoring margin (+8.4), field-goal percentage (48.9), assists (16.5), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5) and 3-point field goals made (11.3).

Harding ranks second in the conference with 11.4 turnovers per game. The Bisons have had 10 or fewer turnovers in a game 11 times, including a season-low four turnovers vs. Arkansas Tech on Jan. 22.

Blake McNair needs six 3-pointers to become the 21st Harding player with 100 career 3-pointers.

Blake McNair averages 34.0 minutes per game, third in an HU season and trailing only Weston Jameson (36.7 in 2013-14) and Chris Hardaway (34.5, 1998-99).

Series Notes:
Harding and Southeastern Oklahoma are meeting for the 17th time with the series tied 8-8. The Bisons lead the series 6-1 in games played in Searcy and have won the last five straight at the Rhodes Field House. Southeastern's last win in Searcy came in 1999 (59-58).

Southeastern Oklahoma won the first meeting this season between the teams, 71-67 in Durant on Jan. 10. Harding led by 11 points in the second half, but Southeastern shot 63 percent in the second half to rally for the win. Andraz Kavas led Harding with 28 points, shooting 10-of-20 from the field. Harding shot only 27 percent from 3-point range.

Series Individual Records, Harding vs. Southeastern Oklahoma:
   Points - 34, Zach Roddenberry (2/18/2012)
   Rebounds - 16, Dwayne McDonald (12/2/2000)
   Assists - 9, Weston Jameson (1/13/2014 & 3/1/2014)

Opponent Notes:
Southeastern Oklahoma is 5-15 overall and 8-7 in GAC games. The Savage Storm is 5-6 on the road, including 4-4 in GAC road games. Southeastern has won four of its last five games, including its last two on the road.

Southeastern Oklahoma leads the Great American Conference in field-goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to shoot only 40.5 percent. The Savage Storm has held its opponents below 40 percent shooting 12 times and have won 11 of those games.

The Savage Storm leads the GAC with 4.9 blocked shots per game and has had five or more blocks 12 times and had a season-high 10 blocks against Dallas Christian on Dec. 1.

Southeastern Oklahoma is the only team in the GAC with two players averaging more than 15 points per game. Danny Powell, a 6-foot-7 sophomore from Phoenix, Arizona, averages 15.6 points, as does Taylor Smaller, a 5-foot-9 senior guard from St. Paul, Minnesota.

Darius Harris, a 6-foot-8 senior forward from Port Arthur, Texas, leads the GAC with 9.1 rebounds per game. He has led Southeastern in rebounding in 14 games, including a season-high 19 rebounds vs. Central Oklahoma on Nov. 14.

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Players Mentioned

#14 Weston Jameson: G; 6' 0"; Senior

#21 Will Francis: G; 6' 5"; Sophomore

#44 Andraz Kavas: F; 6' 10"; Junior

#23 Blake McNair: G; 6' 4"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#14 Weston Jameson
: 6' 0"; Senior
: G

#21 Will Francis
: 6' 5"; Sophomore
: G

#44 Andraz Kavas
: 6' 10"; Junior
: F

#23 Blake McNair
: 6' 4"; Junior
: G