SHAWNEE, Okla. — No. 17 Harding held off a furious second-half charge from Oklahoma Baptist to secure a 74-72 road victory on Saturday at the Noble Complex, completing a perfect weekend road trip and improving to 6-0 on the road this season.
Kori Sanders led the Lady Bisons (12-2, 6-2 Great American Conference) with 22 points, playing all 40 minutes for the second consecutive game. Jaedyn Getman, the GAC's leading scorer, poured in 29 points for Oklahoma Baptist (7-7, 3-5), but Harding made enough plays down the stretch to secure its 14th straight win over the Bison.
Harding led wire-to-wire, building a 19-14 lead after the first quarter and extending the advantage to 33-26 at halftime behind 41.7 percent shooting in the second period—its best second-quarter shooting performance since Dec. 9.
Oklahoma Baptist rallied in the second half, hitting six of its seven 3-pointers after the break to keep the game tight. Getman scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, including a 3-pointer with seven seconds remaining that cut the Harding lead to 73-72.
After a timeout, Josie Williams hit one of two free throws with six seconds left to make it 74-72. OBU had a final chance, but Brianna Jones missed a layup at the buzzer, allowing Harding to escape with the win.
Harding's free-throw shooting was once again a decisive factor. The Lady Bisons hit 22-of-27 from the line (81.5 percent), compared to a perfect 11-of-11 for OBU. Harding entered the game having made 52 more free throws than its opponents had attempted this season, a trend that continued Saturday.
Williams finished with 17 points for Harding. Alli McAda added 17 points and eight rebounds, while Kennedy Stout contributed seven points and seven rebounds.
Harding outrebounded OBU 35-29 and held a 16-9 advantage in second-chance points. The Lady Bisons also won the turnover battle, converting OBU's miscues into 21 points while allowing only 14 points off their own turnovers.
With the victory, Harding maintains its position near the top of the GAC standings and extends its dominance in the series against OBU to 19-3 overall, including seven straight wins in Shawnee.
Harding returns home on Thursday to host Southeastern Oklahoma State. Tipoff at the Rhodes-Reaves Field House is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
