ADA, Okla. – Junior Sage Hawley scored 24 points and had 16 rebounds to lead Harding to its ninth consecutive victory, 65-53, over East Central on Thursday night in Great American Conference action at the Kerr Activities Center. It was Tim Kirby's 500th game as Harding's head coach and his 334th win.
Harding improved to 9-3 overall and remained perfect at 5-0 in the GAC. East Central lost its fifth straight and fell to 3-6 overall and 0-5 in conference. The nine-game winning streak is Harding's first since it won nine straight from Jan. 16-Feb. 13, 2020.
East Central made only 2 of 15 shots in the first quarter, missing its first eight attempts. Harding opened the game by scoring the first 10 points and led 16-8 after one period. Hawley led the Lady Bisons with eight points.
Harding shot 7 of 13 in the second quarter and led 28-15 after two Harley Harbour free throws with 4:02 left. Rory Geer made a layup and two free throws in the last minute and gave the Lady Bisons a 35-24 lead at halftime.
Hawley had 16 points and eight rebounds in the first half. Geer added 10 points and five rebounds, and Jacie Evans scored five with seven rebounds.
East Central shot only 28% in the first half, and Harding held a 24-10 rebound advantage.
East Central made its first five shots of the third quarter and shot 10 of 14 in the period, but Harding connected on four 3-pointers and extended its lead to 58-46 entering the fourth.
The teams combined to miss the first 15 shot attempts of the fourth quarter before Harding's Kendrick Bailey made her third 3-pointer of the game from the right wing. It gave Harding a 61-47 lead with 6:07 left. The Lady Bisons maintained at least a 10-point lead the rest of the way.
Hawley shot 11 of 22 from the field and recorded her sixth double-double of the season and 25th of her career.
Geer had 12 points and seven rebounds, and Bailey scored 11 points. Evans had 10 rebounds for the third time this season.
Harding's two-game Oklahoma road trip continues Saturday against Southeastern Oklahoma in Durant. Tip-off is at 1 p.m.
