CLEVELAND, Miss. — Harding erupted for 29 fourth-quarter points and shot 100 percent from 3-point range in the final period to rally past Delta State 62-51 on Friday evening at Walter Sillers Coliseum.
Trailing 37-33 entering the fourth quarter after struggling from the floor for the first 30 minutes, the Lady Bisons (2-2) caught fire down the stretch. Harding outscored the Lady Statesmen 29-14 in the final frame, shooting 61.5 percent (8-of-13) overall and connecting on all four of its 3-point attempts to turn a four-point deficit into a comfortable 14-point cushion in the final minutes.
4th-year guard Maddi Holt paced a balanced Harding attack with 13 points, knocking down 3-of-7 from beyond the arc, including two pivotal triples in the fourth quarter. 4th-year guard Josie Williams recorded her second career double-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists, while 3rd-year guard Allie Rehl added 12 points off the bench.
1st-year forward Livi Fosness delivered a breakout performance in the paint, posting career highs of eight points and nine rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench, while 2nd-year guard Alli McAda chipped in nine points and nine rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The opening half was a physical defensive grind as both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm. Harding shot just 24.2 percent (8-of-33) in the first two quarters, yet stayed within striking distance thanks to relentless work on the glass.
After taking a 10-9 edge at the end of the first period, the Lady Bisons fell behind 22-16 midway through the second quarter as Delta State (0-2) guard Madi Kate Vuncannon buried three 3-pointers. Harding closed the half on a 5-0 burst—highlighted by a fast-break layup from 2nd-year center Kennedy Stout and a pull-up jumper from Williams—to trim the deficit to 22-21 at the break.
Kori Sanders gave Harding a brief 23-22 lead early in the third quarter on a second-chance layup, but Delta State answered with a 10-0 run to build its largest lead of the contest at 32-23 with 5:53 remaining in the frame. Holt halted the surge with a 3-pointer, and Fosness sparked the Lady Bisons late in the period with back-to-back layups in the paint to pull Harding within 37-33 heading into the fourth.
The Lady Bisons seized control immediately in the final stanza, opening the quarter on an 11-0 run. Holt and McAda each sank a pair of free throws to tie the game at 37-37 before Holt buried a go-ahead 3-pointer from the wing off a feed from Sanders at the 8:15 mark.
Holt struck again from deep less than 90 seconds later to extend the lead to 43-39, and Williams converted a three-point play inside to make it 46-39 with 6:06 to play. Harding continued to pull away as Williams and McAda drained consecutive 3-pointers, and Fosness corralled an offensive rebound for a putback layup with 1:06 remaining to give the Lady Bisons their largest lead of the night at 58-44.
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Harding's defense clamped down on Delta State's top scoring threat, holding guard Jariyah Williamson to nine points on 4-of-18 shooting after she poured in 27 points in the Lady Statesmen's season opener. Adyson Roberts led Delta State with 14 points, Vuncannon finished with 12 on 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range, and Alyse Holliman added 10 points and six rebounds.
Williams logged 38 minutes in her 99th consecutive start, pushing her career total to 3,402 minutes to pass Arielle Saunders (3,368) and Aubrey Isbell (3,385) for fifth place on Harding's all-time career minutes list.
Stout grabbed six rebounds—four on the offensive end—to surpass 200 career rebounds (205), while her third-quarter blocked shot gave her 65 for her career and sole possession of 10th place in program history.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
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Glass Dominance: Harding out-rebounded Delta State 50-34, pulling down 14 offensive rebounds that led to a 12-2 advantage in second-chance points. It marked the Lady Bisons' first 50-rebound performance since grabbing 52 at Southern Nazarene on Jan. 8, 2026.
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Bench Advantage: Led by Rehl (12) and Fosness (eight), Harding's reserves outscored Delta State's bench 22-2.
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Fourth-Quarter Turnaround: After making just 13 of its first 49 field-goal attempts (26.5 percent) and 2-of-16 from 3-point range through three quarters, Harding shot 8-of-13 (61.5 percent) overall and 4-of-4 from deep in the fourth.
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Series Momentum: Harding has now won four of its last five meetings against its former Gulf South Conference rival, including two of its last three trips to Cleveland.
UP NEXT
The Lady Bisons remain in Cleveland on Saturday, Nov. 14, for a neutral-site showcase against Minnesota Duluth. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Walter Sillers Coliseum.
