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Harding University Athletics

Men's Basketball
78
Ouachita Baptist OUA 6-11,4-8 GAC
83
Winner Harding Hard 8-10,5-7 GAC
Ouachita Baptist OUA
6-11,4-8 GAC
78
Final
83
Harding Hard
8-10,5-7 GAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Ouachita Baptist OUA 41 37 78
Harding Hard 42 41 83

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Scott Goode (1/27/24)

Rowdy Rhodes Propels Harding Past OBU; Bisons Win Third Straight at Home

SEARCY – Harding made 25 free throws, including four crucial ones in the last 11 seconds, and the Bisons led the entire second half in an 83-78 victory over Ouachita Baptist on Saturday in Great American Conference men's basketball action before a packed Rhodes-Reaves Field House crowd of more than 2,400 Rowdies.

Rylie Marshall made three of Harding's four 3-pointers and scored 20 points. Sam Smith had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Brahm Harris and Keyln McBride added 11 each.

The victory gave Harding three consecutive home conference wins for the first time since winning four straight from Jan. 7-Feb. 2, 2017. Harding improved to 8-10 overall and 5-7 in conference, moving into a tie for seventh in the GAC standings.

Ouachita Baptist hit a 3-pointer with 1:46 left to cut Harding's lead to 78-75, but Harris responded with a layup that pushed the Bisons back to a three-point lead. With Harding ahead 78-76, Harris was fouled on a drive to the basket and made one free throw with 22 seconds left.

Ouachita answered with a layup with 13 seconds left to cut it to 79-78. Harding's Sam Henderson hit two free throws with 11 seconds left then blocked a potential game-tying 3-pointer with just over a second left. J.T. Smith made two more free throws to seal the victory.

Ouachita had won five of the last six meetings in Searcy, but fell to 6-11 overall and 4-8 in conference.

Harding shot 12-of-15 from the free-throw line in the first half and led 42-41 at the break. Neither team led by more than five points in the half and the lead changed hands seven times.

Smith and Marshall both had 10 points in the first half, but Harding's post players battled foul trouble. Smith and Dylan Munroe picked up three fouls each. Smith played only nine minutes in the half and Munroe played four.

TEAM NOTES
  • Harding shot a season-high 34 free throws, the most since shooting 34 in an overtime game against Arkansas Tech on Jan. 25, 2021
  • Harding made four 3-pointers, one off its season low ... the last time HU won while making four or fewer 3-pointers was a 65-63 overtime victory over Arkansas-Monticello on Nov. 29, 2018 when Harding shot 4-of-20 from 3-point range
  • Harding had a season-low seven turnovers, its fewest since committing three against Henderson State in the final game of the 2022-23 season.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
  • Rylie Marshall scored 20 points for the second time this season.
  • Sam Smith had 17 points and 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season.
  • Keyln McBride played all 40 minutes for the fourth time this season ... needs one more point for 500 in his career.
SERIES NOTES
  • OBU leads the series 84-65 ... HU leads the series in Searcy 35-33 ... HU's first sweep of Ouachita Baptist since the 2010-11 season when both teams were in the Gulf South Conference ... HU's first sweep of a GAC opponent since winning both against Henderson State in 2017.
UP NEXT
  • Harding will travel to Oklahoma to take on East Central in Ada on Thursday, Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m. East Central won the first meeting between the teams 97-87 in Searcy on Jan. 6.
 
Gallery: (1-27-2024) 2023-24 mbball vs. Ouachita Baptist

 
 
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