HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The Harding Bisons held a halftime lead and stood within a single point with under eight minutes remaining, but No. 25 UAH used a strong second-half shooting performance and a decisive 14-0 run to pull away for a 96-78 victory Monday night at Spragins Hall.
The contest marked the season opener for nationally ranked UAH (1-0), while the two-time defending Great American Conference champion Bisons moved to 2-2 following a grueling four-game road stretch to begin the 2026-27 campaign.
Monday's matchup renewed a rivalry between former Gulf South Conference foes who had not met since December 2011. With the win, UAH took a 10-9 edge in the all-time series.
Fourth-year guard Ty Suess led the Bisons with a season-high 19 points off the bench, shooting 6-of-12 from the floor and a perfect 7-of-7 at the free-throw line. Third-year forward Marko Rangan posted 15 points, while third-year wing Ornette Gaines contributed 13 points and five rebounds.
Bisons Battle Back Early
UAH came out firing on its home floor, scoring the game's first eight points and building a 10-2 lead inside the opening three minutes.
Harding responded with poised play from its second unit. Suess attacked the paint for consecutive layups, and Gaines caught fire on the perimeter, knocking down three 3-pointers in the first half.
Trailing 24-16 midway through the frame, Harding mounted a 10-2 surge. Rangan converted consecutive interior buckets and knocked down four free throws to level the score at 26-26.
The teams traded blows down the stretch of the half. Gaines drained his second triple from the wing to put Harding up 36-33, and he followed with a step-back 3-pointer with 35 seconds left to give the Bisons a 43-40 cushion before a Knute Wood layup sent Harding into the locker room with a 43-42 advantage. Harding's bench outscored UAH's reserves 26-10 in the opening 20 minutes.
Second-Half Duel & Decisive Run
Harding built its largest lead of the night early in the second half. After a Gaines putback tied the game at 45-45, Suess sank a pair of free throws, and second-year guard Dylan Hall swiped a steal and scored on a fast-break layup to make it 49-45 with 17:07 left.
However, UAH guard Xavier Martinez caught fire to turn the tide. Martinez scored 18 of his game-high 25 points in the second half, going a perfect 6-of-6 from the floor and 4-of-4 from 3-point range in the final 20 minutes. His back-to-back 3s vaulted UAH back in front, 56-53.
Harding stayed within striking distance through tough interior play. Fifth-year forward Bradley Land slammed home a dunk, and Reggie Webster followed with a driving layup and an old-fashioned three-point play to trim UAH's lead to 71-70 with 7:51 remaining.
From there, UAH delivered the knockout blow. Capitalizing on four Harding turnovers over the next four minutes, the Chargers unleashed a 14-0 run. Wood converted a pair of fast-break layups, Jordan Mabe hit two free throws, and Bryce Mason scored on a putback to extend the Chargers' lead to 85-70 with 3:51 left.
Harding could get no closer than 11 the rest of the way as UAH closed the game out at the free-throw line.
Inside the Box Score
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Ty Suess turned in his best offensive performance of the young season, scoring 19 points with four rebounds and two assists in 26 minutes.
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Marko Rangan scored in double figures for the third time in four games, tallying 15 points, four rebounds, and three steals.
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Ornette Gaines provided 13 points and five rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench. Gaines accounted for all three of Harding's made 3-pointers on the night (3-of-5).
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Reggie Webster scored 11 points and went 5-for-5 from the free-throw line, but early foul trouble limited the sophomore guard to just under 20 minutes of action.
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Bradley Land reached double figures for the second straight game, finishing with 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds (four offensive).
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Harding shot 46.7 percent from the field (28-of-60) and 86.4 percent from the free-throw line (19-of-22). The Bisons pulled down 15 offensive rebounds, generating a 21-13 advantage in second-chance points.
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UAH shot a red-hot 60.3 percent from the floor (35-of-58), including 64.3 percent (18-of-28) in the second half. The Chargers outscored Harding 52-38 in the paint and converted 16 Bison turnovers into 22 points.
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In addition to Martinez's 25 points, Wood scored 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting, and Mabe tallied 16 points and five rebounds for UAH.
Up Next
Harding remains on the road this weekend, traveling to Springfield, Missouri, to compete in the Central Region Challenge. The Bisons face Southwest Baptist on Friday at 1 p.m., followed by a matchup with Drury on Saturday at 3 p.m.
