MANKATO, Minn. – Despite a resilient effort and 19 points from Josie Williams, the No. 6-seeded and 20th-ranked Harding women's basketball team saw its season come to a close in an 89-82 overtime loss to No. 14 Fort Hays State in the opening round of the NCAA Central Region Tournament on Friday at Bresnan Arena.

Harding (24-8) led for nearly 26 minutes of the contest, but could not overcome a historic 46-point performance from Fort Hays State's Talexa Weeter. The game featured 21 lead changes and 14 ties in a back-and-forth battle between two of the nation's top-20 programs.

HOW IT HAPPENED The Lady Bisons used a balanced attack early to jump out to an 18-16 lead after the first quarter. In the second period, Harding caught fire from deep. Allie Rehl and Maddi Holt combined for a barrage of three-pointers during a 13-2 run that gave the Lady Bisons their largest lead of the game at 34-23 with 3:38 left in the half.

Harding went into the locker room leading 39-35, despite Weeter scoring 29 points in the first half alone—matching the most points ever scored by a Harding opponent in an NCAA Tournament game.

The second half was a defensive struggle. Harding maintained a slim 57-54 lead heading into the fourth, but the No. 3-seeded Tigers (25-5) opened the final frame on a 6-0 run to take the lead. The closing minutes of regulation were a clinic in clutch shooting. Trailing 75-73 with 18 seconds remaining, Maddi Holt hit a contested baseline jumper with six seconds left to knot the score at 75 and force the extra period.

In overtime, Kennedy Stout and Kori Sanders provided early buckets to keep Harding level at 81-81. However, the Lady Bisons went cold in the final minute, and Fort Hays State sealed the game at the free-throw line, going a perfect 8-of-8 from the stripe in the overtime period.

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Harding was led by Josie Williams, who finished with 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting. Maddi Holt added 18 points and six rebounds, while Kennedy Stout anchored the interior with 15 points and two blocks. Allie Rehl provided a major spark off the bench with 11 points, including three triples.

Fort Hays State's Talexa Weeter finished with 46 points and 12 rebounds, setting a new record for points against a Harding opponent and tying the most points ever scored in an NCAA Division II Tournament game. Olivia Mortensen added 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Tigers.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• The Lady Bisons finished the game shooting 43.5% from the field and 47.4% (9-of-19) from three-point range.

• Harding's bench outscored Fort Hays State's reserves 17-2.

• This was Harding's sixth NCAA Tournament appearance and their first overtime game in the national tournament since 2017.

Harding concludes the 2025-26 season with 24 wins, a Great American Conference regular-season title, and its third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.