SEARCY, Ark. — For over 30 minutes on Thursday night at the Rhodes-Reaves Field House, it appeared Harding was destined to extend one of the most dominant home stretches in program history. Instead, a late offensive drought and a surging Oklahoma Baptist attack brought that history to an abrupt halt.
Oklahoma Baptist used an 8-for-9 shooting performance over the final minutes to erase a 10-point second-half deficit, defeating Harding 78-73. The loss snapped Harding's 13-game home winning streak, which had tied the longest in school history.
Harding (13-7, 9-5 GAC) led 61-51 following a Keyln McBride 3-pointer with 11:26 remaining in the game. However, the Bisons' offense went cold at the most critical juncture. Harding missed nine of its final 10 shots and failed to record a single field goal over the final 4:07 of play.
The Bison (18-2, 12-2 GAC) took advantage of the opening. Austin Coner's 3-pointer with 48 seconds left gave Oklahoma Baptist a 75-73 lead, their first of the second half. A late dunk by Joshua Udoumoh sealed the victory and extended OBU's winning streak to nine games.
The first half was a physical, back-and-forth affair featuring 23 fouls and 26 free throw attempts. Harding took a 45-41 lead into the locker room thanks to a 7-of-15 start from beyond the arc. The Bisons' bench provided a massive spark in the opening frame, outscoring OBU's reserves 15-1, led by Dylan Munroe's 11 points—tying his career high.
However, the second half saw Oklahoma Baptist dominate the interior, finishing with a 34-18 advantage in points in the paint. OBU shot 48.1% for the game, the highest mark by any opponent in Searcy this season. Harding fell to 1-6 this year when allowing opponents to shoot 45% or better.
Terry Coner Jr. led all scorers with 20 points for Oklahoma Baptist, while Jackson Greene added 16 points and six rebounds.
Harding was led by McBride's 19 points and 16 points from Wesley Booker. Reggie Webster added 12 points, all from the free-throw line where he finished 12-of-14.
Harding continues its four-game home stand on Saturday, Feb. 7, when they host Southern Nazarene. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Rhodes-Reaves Field House.
