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Harding University Athletics

Sydnie Jones led Harding with 19 points in the Lady Bisons' 26-point comeback.
69
Southeastern Okla. SOSU 5-5, 3-3 GAC
72
Winner Harding HU 9-2, 6-0 GAC
Southeastern Okla. SOSU
5-5, 3-3 GAC
69
Final
72
Harding HU
9-2, 6-0 GAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Southeastern Okla. SOSU 21 29 15 4 69
Harding HU 17 11 15 29 72

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | by Scott Goode (1/7/17)

Huge Fourth-Quarter Comeback Keeps Harding Women's Basketball Undefeated in GAC

SEARCY – Harding scored the first 20 points of the fourth quarter and erased a 26-point deficit to defeat Southeastern Oklahoma 72-69 in Great American Conference play Saturday at the Rhodes-Reaves Field House. The comeback was the largest in program history -- by a long shot. The previous high was 16 points (see note below).

With the victory, Harding remained alone in first place in the conference standings with a 9-2 overall record and 6-0 conference mark. Southeastern lost for the eighth time in nine games to Harding and fell to 5-5 overall and 4-3 in the GAC.

With 4:02 left in the third quarter, Harding trailed 61-35, its largest deficit of the game. Southeastern led 65-43 to start the fourth.

Harding hit two free throws early in the fourth quarter and a Sydney Layrock 3-pointer ignited the Lady Bisons' scoring run. Sophomore Caroline Hogue scored six points during the 20-0 run, and sophomore Sydnie Jones had seven, including a layup with 1:10 left that gave Harding the lead for good at 70-69.

Southeastern missed a chance to take the lead when Rachel Wallace missed a 3-pointer from the corner on its next possession, and Harding senior A'ndi Haney made two free throws for the final margin.

Sa'Liesha Hunter missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer with three seconds remaining.

Harding outscored Southeastern 29-4 in the fourth quarter. The Lady Bisons shot 10-of-15 (66.7 percent) from the field and got 3-pointers from Layrock and Mackenzie McNamara. Southeastern was 2-of-17 (11.8 percent) and missed all nine of its 3-point attempts. Harding did not have a turnover in the quarter, and Southeastern had six that led to 12 Harding points.

Southeastern Oklahoma made seven 3-pointers in the second quarter and had two long scoring runs in the first half in building a 50-28 halftime lead.

The Savage Storm had a 15-2 run in the first quarter and led 21-17 after one. Southeastern, who had an abysmal second quarter in its 69-51 loss at Arkansas Tech on Thursday, had an amazing second quarter Saturday. The Savage Storm shot 7-of-11 from 3-point range, had a 16-3 scoring run and outscored the Lady Bisons 29-11 in the quarter.

Senior Olivia Potter, who was 1-of-8 from 3-point range against Arkansas Tech, had six of Southeastern's 10 3-pointers in the first half. Harding shot only 21 percent in the second quarter and 33 percent in the first half.

Both teams scored 15 points in the third quarter.

Jones led Harding with a career-high 19 points, 13 coming after halftime. Hogue scored 15 points, Layrock added 12 and a team-high eight rebounds, and junior Falan Miller scored 10.

Potter led Southeastern with 22 points on 8-of-23 shooting. She was 6-of-19 from 3-point range, but missed all seven of her attempts in the second half. Wallace had 12 points.

Harding plays its next two games on the road, beginning Thursday at Arkansas-Monticello. The Blossoms won 89-86 over Oklahoma Baptist on Saturday in Monticello.

Comeback Notes: Harding trailed Midwestern State by 16 points with 4:24 left in the first half and came back to win 76-71 on Nov. 19, 2004. Harding trailed Southern Arkansas by 16 points with 7:48 left in teh third quarter and came back to win 83-74 last season (Jan. 25, 2016) in Magnolia. The 26-point comeback was Harding's sixth of 14 points or more since 1997.











 
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