Skip To Main Content

Harding University Athletics

2024-25 mbb vs. SNU - GAC Tourney
75
Winner Harding Hard 22-9,15-7 GAC
74
Southern Nazarene SN 22-7,17-5 GAC
Winner
Harding Hard
22-9,15-7 GAC
75
Final
74
Southern Nazarene SN
22-7,17-5 GAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Harding Hard 33 42 75
Southern Nazarene SN 41 33 74

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

McBride Leads Harding to GAC Tournament Title with 75-74 Win Over Southern Nazarene

FORT SMITH, Ark. — Keyln McBride scored 27 points, earning tournament Most Valuable Player honors, as Harding claimed its second Great American Conference Tournament title with a 75-74 victory over Southern Nazarene on Sunday. With the victory, Harding advances to the NCAA Division II Central Region Tournament. The tournament location and Harding's opponent will be announced at 10 p.m. on NCAA.com.

McBride shot 10-of-12 from the field and 3-of-5 from 3-point range. He was perfect in the first half, going 6-of-6 from the field, including 3-of-3 from 3-point range and 2-of-2 at the free throw line.

Rylie Marshall added 18 points, including four 3-pointers, for the Bisons. Stetson Smithson and Sam Smith joined McBride and Marshall on the All-Tournament Team.

Southern Nazarene controlled the first half, leading by 12 points four times. The Crimson Storm used an 11-0 run midway through the half to take a 27-15 lead. Harding scored the last four points of the half to cut the deficit to 41-33 at halftime.

In the second half, Harding trailed 49-38 but went on a 13-2 run over five minutes, tying the game at 51-51 on McBride's reverse layup. The Bisons took their first lead since early in the game on a scoop layup from Smithson with 11:36 left.

Southern Nazarene rebuilt its lead to six, but an 8-2 Harding run pushed the Bisons back into the lead. Wyatt Gilbert's driving layup with 3:40 left gave Harding a 67-66 lead. Marshall's 3-pointer with 2:23 left extended the lead to 72-68.

Wesley Booker's layup with 32 seconds left made it 74-70, and Smithson sealed the win with a free throw with 25 seconds left.

Southern Nazarene's Baron Bracey scored 18 points, and Colby Henderson added 16 points and eight rebounds for the Crimson Storm.

Harding coach Weston Jameson, a player on the Bisons' 2014 GAC Tournament championship team, earned his first tournament title as a coach in his second season.

The Bisons improved to 22-9. Southern Nazarene, the tournament's top seed, fell to 22-7.
Print Friendly Version