MONTICELLO, Ark. – Harding shot a sizzling 61% from the field but struggled on the boards and fell 81-77 to Arkansas-Monticello on Saturday in men's Great American Conference action at Steelman Fieldhouse.
Arkansas-Monticello (3-5, 1-2) had 19 offensive rebounds and outscored Harding 19-3 on second-chance points.
Harding (5-4, 2-1) shot a remarkable 70% from the field, 14-of-20, in the first half, but trailed 44-41 at the break.
The Bisons' last lead came at 73-72 with 1:16 left on a three-point play by J.T. Smith. It was Harding's last field goal, as Arkansas-Monticello scored the next five points and held onto the lead down the stretch.
Keyln McBride led Harding with 16 points, shooting 4-of-7 from 3-point range. Rylie Marshall and Abou Gbane had 14 points each, and Brahm Harris scored 11.
The Bisons made 9-of-17 3-pointers in the game, but the Weevils hit 20-of-24 free throws and outrebounded Harding 28-17.
Harding's next action is Thursday at home against Henderson State. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The game was originally scheduled for Saturday, but was moved to Thursday due to Harding's football team playing in the national championship in McKinney, Texas, on Saturday.
