Harding sinks Oklahoma Baptist in overtime

Harding Sports
Scott Goode, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information

SEARCY – Harding made four of its seven shot attempts in overtime and held on to defeat Oklahoma Baptist 72-69 Thursday in Great American Conference men’s basketball action at the Rhodes-Reaves Field House.

Harding held Oklahoma Baptist without a field goal for an 11-minute stretch of the second half, but Oklahoma Baptist scored six points in the last 1:26 of regulation to force overtime at 63-63.

Harding (4-17, 4-12) went on a 16-2 run during the span where Oklahoma Baptist missed 16 consecutive shots.

Harding scored the first five points in overtime on a Tim Wagner layup and Zac Ward‘s 3-pointer. The Bisons led by three on a Wagner jumper with 42 seconds left. Oklahoma Baptist missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Wagner came off the bench to lead Harding with 26 points. He was 9 of 18 from the field. Ward made five 3-pointers and scored 15 points. Adam Horn scored eight points and had a season-high 13 rebounds.

Freshman Harrison Stoddart led Oklahoma Baptist with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Brantly Thompson and Vladimir Nemcok had 15 each.

Oklahoma Baptist shot only 29 percent (21 of 73) and was 5 of 32 (16 percent) from 3-point range. Thompson made all five of his team’s 3-pointers. The rest of the team was 0 of 22.

Harding shot 38 percent overall and made 12 3-pointers.

Harding won for the third time in its last four games and moved to within three games of the final GAC Tournament spot with six games remaining. The Bisons will be back at home Saturday to host nationally ranked Southern Nazarene.

Oklahoma Baptist (9-13, 6-10) remained winless in its four trips to Searcy and is one game out of the last tournament spot.