No. 1 Seed Harding Men's Basketball Opens GAC Tournament Thursday with No. 8 Northwestern Oklahoma

No. 1 Harding (18-9, 17-5) vs. No. 8 Northwestern Okla. (9-17, 9-13)
Mar. 3, 2016 • Bruin Field House • Bartlesville, Okla. • 5:45 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: 396-260 (22nd season)
   Career: 413-270 (23rd season)
   vs. Northwestern Okla.: 5-3
Brad Franz, Northwestern Okla.
   at NWOSU: 9-17 (1st season)
   Career: same

THE SERIES
Series Record: HU leads 5-3
at Neutral Sites: First Meeting
First Meeting: HU 82-66 (1/5/2013)
Last Meeting: HU 84-64 (1/28/2016)
Current Streak: HU, 2 games

WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Harding will make its fifth straight Great American Conference Tournament appearance and its second as the No. 1 seed (also 2013) Thursday when the Bisons take on No. 8 seed Northwestern Oklahoma. The winner of the Harding-Northwestern Oklahoma game plays the winner of No. 4 Southwestern Oklahoma-No. 5 Southern Arkansas on Saturday at 2:15 p.m.

Harding enters the game 18-9 overall and 17-5 in the GAC. The Bisons tied with East Central at 17-5 but defeated the Tigers twice during the regular season to win the tiebreaker. The Bisons enter the tournament on a five-game winning streak.

Harding is coming off a 79-67 victory over Southeastern Oklahoma on Saturday in Searcy. Jacob Gibson made seven of Harding's 14 3-pointers and led the team with 24 points. Harding shot 61 percent in the second half.

Northwestern Oklahoma enters the game 9-17 overall and 9-13 in GAC games. The Rangers lost their last four games of the regular season and tied with Southeastern Oklahoma for eighth place in the regular season but won the tiebreaker for the No. 8 seed.

Harding won the first meeting between the two teams 82-63 on Nov. 19 in Alva and won the second meeting 84-64 on Jan. 28 in Searcy.

KEY STAT
Harding leads the GAC in field-goal percentage at 47.6 percent. Northwestern Oklahoma is last in the GAC in field-goal percentage defense at 48.2 percent.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Jacob Gibson is Harding's career leader with 220 3-pointers. He is the first Harding player to have 80 or more 3-pointers in two different seasons. Gibson has 81 3-pointers this season and needs six in the GAC Tournament to pass Lonnie Smith's school record of 86 in 2004-05.

Adrian Motley, a 6-foot-6 junior forward from Humble, Texas, is fourth in the GAC with 8.0 rebounds per game.

FACTS AND FIGURES
Jacob Gibson joined the injured Andraz Kavas (1,068 points) in Harding's career 1,000-point club with his 21-point performance against Southwestern Oklahoma. Gibson ranks 22nd at Harding with 1,202 points. Two more Bisons are nearing the mark -- Blake McNair (993) and Will Francis (990).

Northwestern Oklahoma boasts one of the best defenses in the GAC, leading the conference with a +3.23 turnover margin and ranking second in the conference with 6.5 steals per game.

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Players Mentioned

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

#15 Jacob Gibson: G; 6' 5"; Senior

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

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

Players Mentioned

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

#15 Jacob Gibson
: 6' 5"; Senior
: G

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

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