FORT SMITH, Ark. – For the second consecutive year, the road to the Great American Conference championship ran through Searcy and ended with a celebration in Fort Smith.

Behind a masterful 26-point performance from Tournament MVP Keyln McBride, the Harding Bisons defeated Southern Nazarene 73-68 on Sunday afternoon at Northside Arena to claim their second straight GAC Tournament title. The victory marks the third GAC championship in program history (2014, 2025, 2026) and extends Harding's winning streak to 11 games—a new school record.

McBride, who added seven assists to his game-high scoring output, was joined on the All-Tournament Team by teammates Reggie Webster and Wesley Booker. Webster was clinical from deep, scoring 21 points on 4-of-7 shooting from three-point range, while Booker anchored the interior with an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double.

The Bisons (24-7) looked poised to run away with the contest early. Harding shot a blistering 66.7% in the first half to take a 40-32 lead into the break. The momentum carried into the second period, as a Booker dunk pushed the advantage to 50-32 with 16:55 remaining.

However, Southern Nazarene (23-9), meeting the Bisons in the final for the second straight year, mounted a furious late rally. The Storm utilized a 33-12 advantage in bench points to claw back within three after an Aaron Potter triple with 48 seconds left.

With the school-record win streak and a trophy on the line, McBride took control. The junior guard drove the lane and knocked down a leaning jumper with 16 seconds remaining, extending the lead to 73-68 and securing the Bisons' automatic bid to the NCAA Central Region Tournament.

The Bisons dominated the paint 36-24 and limited the Storm to just 44% shooting for the game. Southern Nazarene was led by Tracy Godfrey Jr.'s 15 points and 12 from Baron Bracey.

Harding will now await their seeding and opening-round opponent in the NCAA Division II Tournament. The selection show is scheduled for 10 p.m. on NCAA.com.