BETHANY, Okla. – No. 5 seed Harding hit a late 3-pointer at the end of regulation and two big 3s in overtime to defeat No. 4 seed Pittsburg State 82-74 and advance to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II Central Region Tournament.

Harding (26-5) advances to meet No. 1 seed Southern Nazarene on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Harding is making its fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its first since advancing to the national semifinals in 2017. It was the fifth win for the Lady Bisons in the NCAA Tournament.

Freshman Josie Williams connected on a 3-pointer with 4.0 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 69-69 and send it to overtime. Harding was down by as many as nine in the fourth quarter, trailing 59-50 with 6:51 left. Pittsburg State led 65-57 with 4:08 remaining. Hitting 5-of-6 free throws in the quarter's final four minutes helped pull the Lady Bisons back into striking distance.

In overtime, Maddi Holt opened the period with a 3-pointer and Williams drilled another with 3:51 left. Rory Geer made a jumper in the lane with 54 seconds left, and Harding made four free throws in the final 46 seconds to hold off the Gorillas.

Aubrey Isbell led Harding with 23 points before fouling out with 2:08 left in regulation. Williams and Hawley, who also fouled out in the fourth quarter, both had 18 points. Geer had 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Ahead by two at halftime, Harding's shooting fell off in the third quarter. The Lady Bisons were 3-of-14 (21%) in the period, and Pittsburg State pulled ahead 57-49 after three quarters.

Both teams shot well in the first half and Harding led 39-37 at the break. The Lady Bisons shot better than 50% in both quarters and 53% for the half. Pittsburg State shot 55% in the first two quarters.

Harding led by six points early in the first and held an 18-16 lead after one quarter. Pittsburg State scored nine straight in the first minute of the second quarter and made its first five shots of the period. The Gorillas led 28-21 with 8:18 left in the first half, but Harding chipped away at the lead and took the halftime lead on an Isbell jumper with two seconds left in the half.

Hawley connected on 8-of-11 shots in the first half and scored 16 points. Isbell added 10 in the first 20 minutes.