ARKADELPHIA – A difference of 17 rebounds was one of the key factors in Thursday night's 75-55 win for Harding over Ouachita at Bill Vining Arena in the first Great American Conference game of the season for both teams.
Harding (5-1, 1-0 GAC) ended up with 38 rebounds in the game to Ouachita's 21, including a 25-15 edge in offensive rebounds for the Bisons. Harding capitalized on those second chances for 19 points in the 20-point win.
Ouachita (2-3, 0-1 GAC) shot 41 percent from the field in the loss (23-for-56), but struggled from beyond the arc, connecting on just 3-of-17 three-point shots. Meanwhile, Harding shot 47 percent overall (26-for-55) and 35 percent on threes (7-for-20). Harding also held a 16-6 lead in points from the charity stripe. The Bisons were 16-for-19. Ouachita was efficient, but only made it to the stripe nine times.
The Bisons took the momentum from the start of the game and never trailed. Harding jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first three minutes and eventually held a 14-point lead at the end of the first period. With an even 11-11 performance in the second period, the Bisons held a 35-21 lead at the halftime break.
Neither team made big runs in the third period with an slim 18-16 scoring advantage for the Bisons to make it a 16-point Harding lead heading into the final 10 minutes. Harding's largest lead came at 74-48 with 1:23 remaining in regulation. Three pointers from
Madeleine Tipton and
Micah Russell down the stretch helped cut the final deficit down to 20.
Grayson Fairless and
Laney Mears led the Tigers with 13 points each.
Samantha Watson tallied a team-high five rebounds.
The Tigers hit the road for a GAC game against Arkansas Tech this Saturday, December 2 in Russellville. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m.
