RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Despite grabbing more than 50 rebounds for the fifth time in its last six games, Harding could not overcome 24% shooting from the field and fell 67-56 to Arkansas Tech Monday in a matchup of the top two teams in the Great American Conference Eastern Division.

The loss snapped a five-game Harding winning streak and dropped the Lady Bisons to 5-3 overall and in the GAC. Arkansas Tech remained undefeated at 8-0 overall and 7-0 in conference and ran its home winning streak to eight games dating to last season.

“I thought we batted pretty well for most of the night,” Harding head coach Tim Kirby said. “We hung around but when we needed to make a big play, we just came up empty.”

Harding pulled within six points twice in the fourth quarter, but Tech scored each time and pulled away.

The Lady Bisons had 55 total rebounds, including 25 offensive rebounds. Harding outscored Tech 18-0 on second-chance points, but Tech shot 45% from the field to hold off the Lady Bisons.

Carissa Caples, playing her 100th game at Harding, scored 10 points. Katelyn Burtch also added a career-high 10 points. Sage Hawley had eight points and led the team with 14 rebounds and six assists.

Tech’s Nikki Metcalfe was key for Arkansas Tech on both ends. She led the team with 16 points and tied a Tech record with 11 blocked shots.

Neither team shot well in the third quarter. Tech outscored Harding 11-10. The Lady Bisons were 3 of 19 (15.8%) from the field but made 4 of 6 free throws.

Tech led by 10 early in the second quarter, but Harding got key 3-pointers from Lexie Davis, Kylee Coulter and Kennedy Cooper in the quarter to stay close. Hawley made a turnaround jumper with 37 seconds left to cut Tech’s halftime lead to 35-29. Harding shot 40% in the quarter but only 26.5% in the half. Tech shot 50% from the field (14 of 28), the 3-point line (4 of 8) and the free-throw line (3 of 6).

Arkansas Tech scored the first 10 points before Hannah Collins drained a 3-pointer from the right baseline. Harding missed its first six shots and made only one of its first 10. The Lady Bisons shot 3 of 19 in the quarter, but two of them were 3-pointers. Harding trailed 16-5 but scored the last six points of the quarter.

The Lady Bisons return to the Rhodes-Reaves Field House Thursday to take on Southern Arkansas.

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MAGNOLIA – Carissa Caples scored 29 points, and Brooke Bradley added a career-high 20 points to lead a shorthanded Harding squad to an 87-80 victory over Southern Arkansas in Great American Conference women’s action at the W.T. Watson Athletic Center.

Harding (3-2, 3-2) played the game with only eight available players due to COVID-19 protocols. Southern Arkansas (1-3, 1-3) was in action for the first time in two weeks, also due to COVID-19 protocols.

Despite the game played at a frantic pace, Harding had only 20 turnovers. Last season in a loss to Southern Arkansas, Harding had 46.

“Anytime you face a team that’s going to press you for 40 minutes, you never know how you are going to respond,” Harding head coach Tim Kirby said. “I thought we handled the press well.”

Harding shot 55% in the first quarter and led 27-18. The Lady Bisons made five 3-pointers in the period. Harding continued to shoot well in the second quarter, hitting 47% and extending its lead to as many as 17 points.

A late corner 3-pointer from Lexi Davis gave the Lady Bisons a 51-36 lead at halftime.

Southern Arkansas outscored Harding 21-14 in the third quarter, but the Lady Bisons still held a 65-57 lead entering the fourth.

In the final quarter, Harding’s lead never went below six points, and the Lady Bisons made 10 of 12 free throws to seal the victory.

“Southern Arkansas is a very scrappy team,” Kirby said. “And I thought we scrapped with them.”

Caples made 11 of 19 shots, including two 3-pointers, and was 5 of 5 at the free throw line.

Bradley and Kylie Coulter both recorded their first career double-doubles. Bradley had 11 rebounds to go with her 20 points, and Coulter had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Lexi Davis had a career-high 12 points, and Jordan Elder had 11 points and a team-high six assists.

Diamond Morris and Ariana Guinn had 14 points each to lead Southern Arkansas.

Harding’s next scheduled game is Saturday at Henderson State. The Lady Reddies are currently sitting out due to COVID-19 protocols. A decision about the game will likely come Friday.

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SEARCY – Harding head coach Tim Kirby collected his 300th victory Thursday as the Lady Bisons used a strong third quarter to defeat Henderson State, 92-73, in Great American Conference action at the Rhodes-Reaves Field House.

“Win No. 300 means that we’ve had some really good players,” Kirby said of the milestone, which he was unaware of when the game ended.

After dropping its first two games of the season on the road, Harding (1-2, 1-2) returned home and played its best game of the season, winning for the eighth straight time at the Rhodes-Reaves Field House. The team will look to make it nine Saturday when Southern Arkansas visits Searcy.

Henderson State dropped its second straight road game and fell to 1-2 overall and in the GAC.

Harding led 51-41 at halftime, and blew the game wide open in the third quarter. The Reddies opened the quarter with a 3-pointer, but the Lady Bisons responded with a 20-3 run over the next five minutes and led by 24 when Kylee Coulternailed a 3-pointer to with 2:53 left in the quarter. Harding held Henderson State to only 22% shooting and led 73-53 entering the fourth.

“It was big to be able to go into the fourth quarter without thinking that we had to score on every possession,” Kirby said.

Kennedy Cooper led Harding with a season-high 17 points and 11 rebounds, her second double-double of the season and sixth of her career. Carissa Caples scored 16 points and led the team with five assists. Freshman Sage Hawley scored 14 points on 7 of 9 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds for her first career double-double, and fellow freshman Lexi Davis made three 3-pointers and scored 11.

The Lady Bisons pushed the lead to as many as 25 points midway through the final quarter.

Harding weathered a 15-2 Henderson State run in the second quarter, answering it with an 11-2 run to lead 51-41 at halftime. The Lady Bisons shot 50% in the quarter and made three 3-pointers.

Harding overcame an early deficit to lead 28-20 after one quarter, ending the period on an 11-0 run. The Lady Bisons scored 16 of their 28 points in the paint and shot 63% from the field. Harding also connected on 7 of 9 free throws. Cooper scored eight points in the period. Henderson State made four early 3-pointers but cooled off to shot 40% in the period.

Harding outrebounded Henderson State 51-33. The Lady Bisons outscored the Reddies 52-24 in the paint.

Ashley Farrar led Henderson State with 23 points, shooting 9 of 20 from the field.

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SEARCY – Carissa Caples and Cheyenne Brown both scored 18 points to lead Harding to a 67-51 victory over East Central Saturday in Great American Conference play at the Rhodes-Reaves Field House.

Harding improved to 14-6 overall and 9-5 in the GAC, moving into a four-way tie for third place in the conference. East Central is also 14-6 overall and 9-5 in conference and part of the tie.

Harding struggled offensively through the first three quarters but shot 60 percent from the field and made 11 free throws in a 25-point fourth quarter. The Lady Bisons held the Tigers to only 28 percent shooting.

Caples shot 6-of-12 from the field and made two of Harding’s four 3-pointers. Brown was 5-of-13 shooting and made eight free throws. Kellie Lampo added 14 points, and Peyton Padgett had a team-high 11 rebounds.

Lakin Preisner led East Central with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Harding is back in action Thursday at Arkansas-Monticello.

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