WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. – A spirited second-half comeback from an 18-point deficit came up just short Friday night as the two-time defending Great American Conference champion Harding Bisons dropped their 2026-27 season opener, 75-69, to No. 17 Grand Valley State at JustAgame Fieldhouse in the Midwest Region Tip-Off Challenge.
The contest marked a pair of historic milestones in Harding basketball history. Playing on Oct. 30, the Bisons took the floor for the first-ever game in the month of October in the program's 102-season history.
The night also brought the conclusion of one of the longest perimeter shooting streaks in college basketball. Harding went 0-for-13 from 3-point range, snapping an active streak of 784 consecutive games with at least one made 3-pointer. The Bisons had made at least one triple in every game since Nov. 23, 1998, when they went 0-for-6 from deep in a 70-65 victory at Williams Baptist.
Despite the cold shooting night from beyond the arc and a 27-0 scoring disparity in 3-pointers, Harding (0-1) nearly pulled off an improbable comeback against the nationally ranked Lakers (1-0). The Bisons dominated the interior, outscoring Grand Valley State 50-30 in the paint and shooting 60 percent (27-of-45) on 2-point attempts.
Second-year guard Reggie Webster, the reigning GAC Freshman of the Year, led all scorers with 19 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Third-year forward Marko Rangan was a force inside, scoring 18 points on 9-of-16 shooting to go with five rebounds and three steals.
Grand Valley State seized control early behind torrid perimeter shooting, connecting on 8 of 12 attempts (66.7 percent) from 3-point range in the first half. A 13-0 Lakers run turned an early 2-2 tie into a 15-2 advantage, and GVSU built its largest lead of the night at 46-27 with 1:07 left in the opening period.
Harding trailed 46-29 at the intermission but flipped the momentum in the second half, outscoring the Lakers 40-29 over the final 20 minutes while shooting 55.2 percent from the floor.
After GVSU pushed the margin back to 18 at 55-37 with 15:32 remaining, the Bisons mounted a relentless rally. Rangan sparked the surge with multiple interior buckets, and Webster slashed through the lane for a 3-point play that sliced the deficit to 69-63 with 2:08 left.
Following a defensive stop, fourth-year guard Ty Suess knocked down a pair of free throws with 1:02 to go, bringing Harding within six at 71-65. Moments later, fifth-year transfer forward Bradley Land threw down a fast-break dunk with 49 seconds remaining to cut the Lakers' lead to 72-67.
Rangan pulled the Bisons within four at 73-69 on a second-chance putback with 15 seconds on the clock, but GVSU guard Marcus Gray II sank two free throws with 14 seconds left to finally ice the win for the Lakers.
Gray paced Grand Valley State with 18 points, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range, while forward Austin Tory recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Shamus Thompson added 12 points and eight boards off the bench for GVSU.
Harding outrebounded the Lakers 38-34, pulling down 13 offensive boards that led to 11 second-chance points. In their Bison debuts, Land contributed eight points, seven rebounds, and two blocks in 17 minutes, while fourth-year transfer Ben Fox grabbed six rebounds and tallied four points in 33 minutes. Sophomore Toby Pike added eight points and three rebounds.
The Bisons continue play at the Midwest Region Tip-Off Challenge on Saturday night, facing 2026 GLIAC regular-season champion Northern Michigan. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. at JustAgame Fieldhouse.
