SEARCY – Keyln McBride scored a team-high 17 points, and Harding rallied from multiple deficits, relying on its defense to force 16 Southwest Baptist turnovers, lifting the Bison to a 79-72 victory over the Bearcats on Thursday night at home.

The game was a story of early struggles and dramatic swings. Southwest Baptist (2-2) opened on fire, hitting their first three 3-pointers while Harding (2-2) missed its first six attempts, allowing SBU to take an early six-point lead.

Harding's defense soon dictated the pace, sparking a 15-1 run over a five-minute stretch to push the Bison ahead 21-13. This surge was fueled by a dominant 12-1 edge in points off turnovers in the first half. Guard Wesley Booker hit two of Harding's five first-half 3-pointers to lead the Bison with 10 points at the break. Both teams struggled with overall efficiency, neither reaching 40% shooting from the floor, and both were an identical 4 of 9 from the free-throw line. Harding maintained a slim 33-30 lead at halftime.

Southwest Baptist stormed back to start the second half, scoring the first nine points, seven of which came at the free-throw line, to quickly regain a 39-33 lead. Thompson Camara's layup at the 17:01 mark finally ended the Bearcat run.

The teams traded leads until Camara delivered another key layup at the 7:44 mark, giving Harding the lead for good at 56-55. That basket initiated a decisive 7-0 Harding run, which was capped by a Keyln McBride layup and a Rece Hipp 3-pointer. The Bison created their final separation with a rare five-point possession that began with a Reggie Webster 3-pointer (4:48) and concluded with two Wesley Booker free throws after an SBU foul, putting Harding ahead 68-60 with 4:42 left.

McBride's 17 points led the three Bison who scored in double figures. Guard Reggie Webster finished with 15 points and guard Wesley Booker contributed 14 points, with Booker hitting 2 of 4 from beyond the arc. Harding's depth proved critical, as the bench outscored SBU's reserves 25-13, with Rece Hipp providing 9 points on three 3-pointers.

SBU was paced by guard Barron Silsby, who was the game's leading scorer with 23 points, connecting on five 3-pointers. Zac Reedus added 14 points for the Bearcats.

Harding's aggressive offensive strategy resulted in 39 three-point attempts, which is tied for the third-most in program history, last accomplished against Arkansas Tech in 2018.

Harding's next action is Saturday at 7 p.m. when it hosts Mission University of Springfield, Missouri.