Harding Men's Basketball Begins Road Trip Thursday at Southern Nazarene

Harding Game Notes

Harding (12-10, 10-6) vs. Southern Nazarene (12-11, 8-9)
Feb. 19, 2015 • Sawyer Center • Bethany, Okla. • 7:30 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW
Radio: KVHU 95.3-FM
Internet:
   Audio: www.HardingSports.com
   Video: www.HardingSports.com
Live Stats: www.HardingSports.com

THE COACHES
Jeff Morgan, Harding
   at Harding: 376-247 (21st season)
   Career: 393-257 (22nd season)
   vs. Southern Nazarene: 4-1
Adam Bohac, Southern Nazarene
   at SNU: 141-65 (7th season)
   Career: same

THE SERIES
Series Record: HU leads 4-1
in Bethany: Tied 1-1
First Meeting: HU 80-67 (12/1/2012)
Last Meeting: HU 80-55 (1/17/2015)
Current Streak: HU, 2 games

KEY NOTES FOR TODAY'S GAME
Harding begins a stretch of three straight road games Thursday in Bethany, Oklahoma, taking on Southern Nazarene at 7:30 p.m. in the Sawyer Center.

Harding enters the game with an 12-10 overall record and 10-6 GAC mark. The Bisons are tied with East Central for second in the conference standings and have clinched one of eight spots in the GAC Tournament in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

Harding has won two of its last three road games, with victories at Henderson State (74-61) and at Southwestern Oklahoma (79-52), after opening the season with six straight road losses.

Southern Nazarene is coming off an 81-64 road loss to Arkansas Tech on Saturday. The Crimson Storm trailed 50-26 after making only 10 first-half field goals. CJ Rodriguez led Southern Nazarene with 20 points. The Crimson Storm trailed by as many as 28 points and was outscored 38-20 in the paint.

Harding enters the game as the GAC's leader in field-goal percentage (47.9), free-throw percentage (73.4), and 3-point field goal percentage (39.6). The Bisons also lead the conference in assists (17.3) and 3-pointers per game (10.7).

Harding Team Notes:
Harding ranks fifth in NCAA II in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.55 assists per turnover. The Bisons have had more assists than turnovers in 18 games this season. Four times, including both of the last two games, Harding has had 20 or more assists and fewer than 10 turnovers.

Harding makes 10.7 3-pointers per game to rank seventh in NCAA II. The Bisons have made 10 or more 3-pointers 15 times and 15 or more 3-pointers three times. Harding connected on 16-of-27 3-pointers (59.3 percent) in its last road game, a victory at Southwestern Oklahoma.

Blake McNair needs three 3-pointers to become the 21st Harding player with 100 career 3-pointers. He currently ranks 23rd in NCAA II and second in the GAC in 3-point field-goal percentage (45.5). McNair has made at least one 3-pointer in 19 straight games and has made 11 3-pointers in Harding's last three games.

Andraz Kavas ranks second in the GAC and 36th in NCAA II in scoring with 19.5 points per game. He has scored 10 or more points in 15 straight games. He has 12 20-point games this season and two 30-point games.

Series Notes:
Harding and Southern Nazarene are meeting for the sixth time with the Bisons leading the series 4-1. The series is tied 1-1 in games played in Bethany. Harding won the first meeting between the teams at Sawyer Center 71-58 in 2013, and Southern Nazarene won 87-76 in Bethany last season.

Andraz Kavas scored 23 points and led Harding to an 80-55 victory over Southern Nazarene in Searcy on Jan. 17 in the first meeting between the teams. Harding shot 68 percent in the second half and made 8-of-12 3-pointers to score 50 points after the break.

Series Individual Records, Harding vs. Southern Nazarene:
   Points - 33, Hayden Johnson (11/23/2013)
   Rebounds - 9, Bradley Spencer (12/1/2012) & Andraz Kavas (1/17/2015)
   Assists - 8, Weston Jameson (11/23/2013)

Opponent Notes:
Southern Nazarene is 12-11 overall and 8-9 in GAC games. The Crimson Storm is 8-4 at home, including 5-3 in GAC home games. Southern Nazarene has won five straight at home and lost five straight on the road.

Southern Nazarene ranks second in the GAC with 7.6 steals per game. The Crimson Storm has had 10 or more steals in a game six times this season, including a season-high 16 against Central Christian. Southern Nazarene has had 30 steals in its last three games.

LB Willis, a 6-foot-1, 170-pound sophomore from Dallas, leads the GAC in both assists per game (4.4) and steals per game (2.74). Willis ranks eighth in NCAA II in steals per game, and has had three or more in a game 10 times. He has 15 steals in the last three games. Willis has had five or more assists in a game 13 times, including a season-high vs. Arkansas Tech.

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Players Mentioned

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

#21 Hayden Johnson: F; 6' 6"; Senior

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

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

Players Mentioned

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

#21 Hayden Johnson
: 6' 6"; Senior
: F

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

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