SEARCY — Sophomore Allie Rehl grabbed a defensive rebound off a missed free throw with one second remaining as No. 17 Harding survived a frantic finish to defeat Southern Arkansas 53-52 on Saturday at the Rhodes-Reaves Field House.
In their first game in 16 days, the Lady Bisons (10-2, 4-2 Great American Conference) overcame 32.8 percent shooting and a scoreless drought over the final 3:12 to secure the victory.
Southern Arkansas (8-4, 4-2) had a chance to win it at the line. Trailing by one, Blythe Crawley drew a foul on Harding's Josie Williams with one second on the clock. Crawley, who led all scorers with 20 points, missed the first free throw. Her second attempt also bounced off the rim, and Rehl secured the rebound as time expired.
Rehl led Harding offensively with 14 points off the bench, including 4-of-8 shooting from 3-point range.
The game was a defensive grind. Neither team shot above 35 percent from the field.
Freshman center Kennedy Stout posted a double-double for Harding, finishing with 10 points, a game-high 12 rebounds, and two blocks. Stout's interior defense was crucial in limiting SAU's senior center Elena Lijo-Rodriguez, who grabbed 11 rebounds but was held to just one point on 0-of-5 shooting.
Josie Williams added 11 points and three assists for the Lady Bisons.
Harding led 53-46 after a Rehl 3-pointer with 3:12 remaining but did not score again. Southern Arkansas mounted a 6-0 run, capped by a Crawley jumper with 1:24 left, to cut the deficit to 53-52. The Muleriders got the final stop they needed to set up the dramatic free-throw sequence but could not convert.
Crawley kept SAU in the game with her perimeter shooting, hitting 7-of-15 from 3-point range. As a team, however, the Muleriders struggled from the stripe, finishing just 1-of-4 on free throws compared to Harding's 10-of-15 effort.
The victory moves Harding into a tie with Southern Arkansas in the GAC standings. It was the Lady Bisons' 10th straight win over the Muleriders overall and 10th straight in Searcy.
Harding returns to action on Thursday, Jan. 8, when they travel to Bethany, Oklahoma, to face Southern Nazarene. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
