Today in Harding Sports, Dec. 9

Football
2:30 p.m. - vs. Texas A&M-Commerce - Commerce, Texas (Memorial Stadium)
Coverage Links
Harding, the champion of Super Region 3, will make its first appearance in the NCAA Division II Playoffs national semifinals Saturday. The Bisons, No. 3 seed in semifinals, will travel to meet No. 2 seed Texas A&M-Commerce, the second-place regular season team in the Lone Star Conference. Kickoff at Memorial Stadium in Commerce, Texas, will be at 2:30 p.m. Central Time.

The winner of the Harding-Texas A&M-Commerce game will play the winner of the Indiana (Pa.)-West Florida game for the national championship Saturday, Dec. 16 at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City.

Harding is playing postseason football for the ninth time in program history. The Bisons played in NAIA bowls in 1972 (Cowboy) and 1976 (San Jacinto Shrine) and in the NAIA playoffs in 1989 and 1992. Harding has played in the NCAA II Playoffs in 2012 and 2014 and reached the national quarterfinals last season. The Bisons also played in the 2013 Live United Texarkana Bowl against Texas A&M-Commerce.

Harding enters the matchup on an 11-game winning streak, the second longest in program history. The streak came after the Bisons opened the season with three consecutive losses.

Harding enters the game as the NCAA Division II leader in rushing TD (51) and rushing yards (4,868). Harding has rushed for more than 300 yards 10 times this season and for 200 or more yards in 27 straight games.

Harding will be playing five consecutive road games in the same season for the first time since 1929 (four of those games were against local high schools).

Women's Basketball
5:30 p.m. - vs. Christian Brothers - Searcy, Arkansas (Rhodes-Reaves Field House)
Coverage Links
Harding women's basketball will be playing its second of four straight nonconference games Saturday when it hosts Christian Brothers, a member of the Gulf South Conference located in Memphis, Tennessee.

Harding (3-6) is coming off a 65-57 loss to seventh-ranked Drury Tuesday in nonconference play. Sophomore Sydnie Jones scored 10 points to lead Harding, who had a season-high 29 turnovers but trimmed a 17-point second-half deficit to only four points before Drury pulled away.

Christian Brothers is 2-5 overall and has lost three of its last four. The Lady Bucs are coming off a 67-50 home loss to Eckerd Wednesday in a nonconference matchup. Rafaella Angelidou, a native of Thessaloniki, Greece, scored 13 points to lead Christian Brothers, who shot only 29 percent overall and 18 percent from 3-point range.

Harding and Drury are meeting for the 48th time, with the Lady Bisons leading 28-19. Harding won 13 straight against Christian Brothers before the Lady Bucs ended the streak last season 67-66 in Memphis.

Harding is shooting a Great American Conference-best 45.0 percent and has shot better than 40 percent in eight of its nine games. Christian Brothers is third in the GSC with only 16.0 turnovers per game.

Harding's Peyton Padgett ranks seventh in the GAC in both assists per game (3.0) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.08), and CBU's Angelidou shoots 88 percent at the free-throw line, third-best in the GSC.

Men's Basketball
7:30 p.m. - vs. Christian Brothers - Searcy, Arkansas (Rhodes-Reaves Field House)
Coverage Links
Harding's men also play the second of four straight nonconference games with a home matchup against Christian Brothers.

Harding (0-6) is coming off an 81-67 loss to LeMoyne-Owen Tuesday in nonconference action in Memphis. Tim Wagner and Preston Anderson both scored 15 points to lead Harding, who made 10 3-pointers but shot only 3 of 13 from the free-throw line.

Christian Brothers, ranked 10th in Division II, is undefeated at 8-0. The Bucs are coming off a 64-54 victory over Lane Wednesday in Jackson, Tennessee. Joe Laravie made 11 of 11 free throws and scored 18 points to lead the Bucs, who limited Lane to only 31 percent shooting.

Harding leads the all-time series 40-36. Christian Brothers won the first meeting of the season between the teams 79-71 on Nov. 21 in Memphis. Jeff Larkin led Christian Brothers with 31 points, and Anderson led Harding with 16.

Harding ranks 12th in Division II in 3-point field goal defense, limiting opponents to 28.9 percent from 3-point range. Christian Brothers is one of 19 undefeated Division II teams and ranks third nationally with 1.90 assists per turnover. Laravie, individually, ranks 13th nationally with 4.29 assists per turnover.

Junior Reggie Anthony leads Harding and ranks ninth in the GAC with 3.5 assists per game.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#13 Peyton Padgett: G; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#3 Reggie Anthony: G; 6' 1"; Junior

#1 Tim Wagner: G; 6' 3"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#13 Peyton Padgett
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: G

#3 Reggie Anthony
: 6' 1"; Junior
: G

#1 Tim Wagner
: 6' 3"; Senior
: G

Players Mentioned

#13 Peyton Padgett

#3 Reggie Anthony

#1 Tim Wagner

Players Mentioned

#13 Peyton Padgett

#3 Reggie Anthony

#1 Tim Wagner