WEATHERFORD, Okla. – Harding sophomore Kellie Lampo scored 28 points and sophomore Carissa Caples scored 20, but the Lady Bisons could not overcome turnovers and missed free throws and fell 88-82 to 16th-ranked Southwestern Oklahoma Saturday at the Pioneer Events Center.
Harding won the first two games of its three-game road trip but fell to 12-6 overall and 7-5 in the GAC with Saturday's loss. Southwestern won its 17th straight overall and 28th straight at home to improve to 17-1 overall and 12-0 in conference.
Harding led 39-36 at halftime, but Southwestern scored 52 second-half points for the second straight game and took the lead for good on a pair of Hailey Tucker free throws with 1:13 left in the third.
Southwestern made five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and led by as many as 12 with 7:02 left.
Harding had 26 turnovers, and Southwestern capitalized to outscore the Lady Bisons 33-6 off those turnovers. Harding did not shoot a free throw until early in the third quarter and missed nine straight during one stretch between the third and fourth quarters. The Lady Bisons finished 5-of-16 at the line, while the Bulldogs shot 21-of-23.
Lampo was 12-of-18 from the field. Caples made a career-high six 3-pointers and added seven assists. Peyton Padgett had eight points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and three blocked shots.
Kennedy Cooper scored 16 points and had eight rebounds, and Cheyenne Brown had 10 points and nine rebounds.
Harding had 56 rebounds in the game, outrebounding Southwestern by 26. The Lady Bisons had 23 offensive rebounds.
Harding held Southwestern Oklahoma to only 31 percent shooting in the first half and led by three at the break.
Two-time GAC Player of the Year Hailey Tucker had just one point in the first half, one game after celebrating her 2,000th career point. She finished with 12 points on 2-of-11 shooting. Maddie Sperle led Southwestern with 18 points.
Caples made three 3-pointers and led Harding with 11 first-half points. Cooper and Lampo added eight points each. Cooper scored all of her points in a first quarter that Harding shot 53 percent. The Lady Bisons led 24-21 after one period.
Harding returns to action Thursday in Searcy, taking on Southeastern Oklahoma at 5:30 p.m.
