SEARCY – Harding built a 21-point first-half lead, weathered a Henderson State run in the second half, and defeated the Reddies 76-54 on Saturday in Great American Conference action at the Rhodes-Reaves Field House.
 
The crowd of 2,178 witnessed a victory that gives the Bisons a 9-6 overall record and moves them into a tie with Ouachita Baptist for first place in the GAC with identical 8-2 conference records.
 
Harding shot 53 percent in the first half, held Henderson State to only 29 percent and led 42-21 at halftime. It was Harding's largest halftime lead of the season.
 
Henderson State, who fell to 4-12 overall and 3-8 in the GAC, scored the first seven points of the second half and got as close as 10 points at 61-51 with 4:45 left. At that point, Harding had missed its previous 11 shots. Jacob Gibson, who led Harding with 26 points, connected on a 3-pointer from the corner on the Bisons' next possession and followed that with a transition 3-pointer from the left wing to clinch the victory for Harding.
 
Harding made 6-of-11 from 3-point range in the first half and held Henderson State, the GAC's leader in 3-point percentage, to only 1-of-10. The Bisons made 10 3-pointers in the game, and the Reddies hit only 4-of-21.
 
Will Francis had 13 of his 21 points in the second half, and Blake McNair added 12 points.
 
Reserve guard Kaylon Tappin led Henderson State with 16 points for Henderson State, making all six of his free-throw attempts.
 
TEAM STATS
Harding shot 44 percent from the field and has shot over 40 percent in 14 of its 15 games this season.
 
Henderson State shot 37 percent, marking the fourth time this season that Harding has held an opponent below 40 percent.
 
Harding made 10 3-pointers, the seventh time in the last nine games that the Bisons have made 10 or more. Henderson State made only four 3-pointers, tied for the fewest by a Harding opponent this season.
 
The Bisons shot 10-of-12 (83.3 percent) from the free-throw line, the fifth time this season Harding has shot over 80 percent from the line.
 
Harding had 18 assists and only nine turnovers. It is the second straight game the Bisons have had twice as many assists as turnovers.
 
Harding tied a season high with 10 steals.
 
INDIVIDUAL STATS
Gibson was 9-of-16 from the field and made 5-of-9 3-pointers. The 26 points were a season-high for Gibson, who eclipsed the 20-point mark for the second straight game and fifth time this season.

Francis had his second 20-point game of the season. His season high was 35 on Dec. 7 against Texas A&M-Commerce. Francis also had a team-high seven assists and only one turnover. He entered the game with the GAC's best assist-to-turnover ratio (2.4-to-1).

Junior Stefan Andelkovic had a team-high 12 rebounds, tied for the most by a Harding player in a game this season.

UP NEXT
Harding plays Southern Arkansas on Monday in Magnolia.

Henderson State hosts Southern Nazarene on Thursday.