BETHANY, Okla. – No. 5 seed Harding women's basketball had its 2023-24 season come to an end Saturday after a hard-fought 68-65 loss to No. 1 seed Southern Nazarene in the semifinals of the NCAA Division II Central Region at the Sawyer Center.

Harding's season concluded with a 26-6 overall record and the Lady Bisons fourth berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Bisons finished second in the Great American Conference regular season and reached the semifinals of GAC Tournament and Central Region Tournament.

Aubrey Isbell led Harding with a career-high 25 points. She shot 9-of-14 from the field and made all seven of her free throw attempts.

Harding trailed the entire fourth quarter and pulled within one point six times during the period. Each time, Southern Nazarene extended its lead and made just enough free throws down the stretch to hold Harding off.

Josie Williams added 13 points for Harding, and Maddi Holt had 11.

Harding shot only 27% in the first quarter, but made 5-of-6 free throws and trailed only 14-13 after one period. Sage Hawley had Harding's first six points of the game.

Harding's shooting improved to 58% in the second quarter, and the Lady Bisons led 32-27 at the break.

Isbell capped a 10-0 Harding run with a layup with 8:08 left in the second quarter and put the Lady Bisons up 21-14. A 3-pointer from Southern Nazarene tied the game at 25-25, but Williams scored seven points in the final 2:15 to give the Lady Bisons the five-point halftime advantage.

Southern Nazarene shot 9-of-12 from the field in the third quarter, but Harding stayed close, trailing only 49-47 after three.