SEARCY — Behind a historic double-double from Kori Sanders and a career milestone for Josie Williams, the No. 14 Harding Lady Bisons clinched the Great American Conference outright regular-season championship Thursday night with an 82-48 victory over Arkansas-Monticello at Rhodes-Reaves Arena.
The title marks Harding's (23-4, 17-4 GAC) third outright conference championship in program history and its first since 2017. With the victory, Harding secures the No. 1 seed in the upcoming GAC Tournament. The Lady Bisons are scheduled to open postseason play against the No. 8 seed on Thursday, March 5, at Northside High School in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Harding broke the game open with a dominant third-quarter performance, outscoring the Blossoms 30-8. Leading 35-29, the Lady Bisons ignited a decisive 18-0 run that featured three consecutive 3-pointers from Maddi Holt and Allie Rehl in a span of just 66 seconds. Harding finished the quarter making its final eight shots from the floor.
Sanders anchored the offense with 10 points and 10 assists, marking the first time a Lady Bison has recorded a double-double with points and assists since at least 2012. Meanwhile, senior Josie Williams surpassed the 1,000-career point plateau, finishing with seven points to bring her career total to 1,006.
The Lady Bisons' efficiency was a season-high point, as they shot 56.6% from the field—their second-best mark of the year. They were particularly lethal in the second half, shooting 20-of-27 (74%) after the intermission.
Arkansas-Monticello (6-21, 1-20 GAC) struggled to find an interior presence, as Harding dominated the points in the paint 42-12. Jena Warden led the Blossoms with 15 points, but UAM was held scoreless for the final 5:10 of the pivotal third quarter.
Allie Rehl led four Lady Bisons in double figures with 14 points off the bench. Maddi Holt added 13, Alli McAda finished with 11, and Kennedy Stout contributed 10 points. The victory was the 99th win for the program over the last four seasons.
Harding concludes the regular season on the road Saturday at Henderson State in Arkadelphia before heading to Fort Smith for the conference tournament.
