DENTON, Texas — The No. 25 Harding Lady Bisons routed No. 3 Texas Woman's (TWU) 75-59 in the Texas Woman's Tip-off Classic. The victory gives Harding its first win over a top-three nationally ranked opponent since 2011 and improves the Lady Bisons' early-season record to 2-0.
Freshman center Kennedy Stout led the charge with her first collegiate double-double, finishing with 17 points and a game-high 12 rebounds for Harding. Stout averaged 14.5 points and 8.5 rebounds and earned All-Tournament honors.
The Lady Bisons controlled the game virtually from tip-off, leading for more than 38 minutes and building their largest advantage to 22 points in the third quarter.
Harding's success was rooted in a decisive advantage on the glass, out-rebounding the Pioneers 46-27, a margin fueled by 16 offensive boards that led to 18 second-chance points. The Lady Bisons also found their rhythm from beyond the arc, knocking down 10 three-pointers and shooting 46.4% overall from the field, while holding Texas Woman's to just 38.1%.
Harding established an early cushion, taking a 24-19 lead after the first quarter thanks to strong outside shooting, including two threes from guard Kori Sanders. The Lady Bisons expanded the lead in the second period, going into halftime up 45-34.
The third quarter saw Harding pull away further, with Maddi Holt hitting a pair of three-pointers as the team shot 66.7% from the field for the period, posting 24 points to TWU's 16 and pushing the lead to 69-50.
Texas Woman's, led by Averee Kleinhans with 16 points and Gabby Elliott with 15 points, struggled to mount a comeback in the fourth, scoring only nine points in the final frame.
Along with Stout's dominant performance, Harding received key contributions from:
The Lady Bisons opened the season with a 69-66 victory over No. 23 Tampa and earned their first win over a team ranked No. 3 or higher since defeating No. 1 Delta State 69-66 on Jan. 15, 2011.
Harding has a 10-day break before hosting Cameron on Nov. 18 in its home opener.
