SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist (10-11,7-8 GAC) fell 71-67 to Harding (10-11,7-8 GAC) on Thursday night inside the Rhodes-Reaves Field House, snapping its three-game winning streak heading into the contest. It is HU's first win over the Bison since the 2021-22 season.
The home team put on a three-point clinic in the second half, nailing 5-of-7 from deep, to go ahead by as much as 12 points and put Oklahoma Baptist away. Meanwhile, OBU fired 33.3 percent (3-9) from range. Additionally, Harding's Sam Smith scored 22 of his 26 points in the closing stanza, over half of HU's total (42) in the period.
Harding's success in the concluding frame almost fell to the wayside as the Bison nearly erased its deficit, ending the game on a 7-1 run. However, the lead was insurmountable.
Oklahoma Baptist shot 46.7 percent for the game, slightly better than HU's 45.3 percent mark. OBU also turned in marginal advantages in rebounds (34-28), steals (9), and points in the paint (40-26).
LEADERS
Terry Coner Jr. charted 19 points on 50.0 percent shooting, highlighted by 11 second-half points. He also sunk three free throws and collected three boards.
Daniel Ransom collected his third double-double of the year in a 14-point, 10-rebound performance. Ransom shot 60.0 percent (6-10) from the floor and flushed two of his four attempts from deep.
Trevin Wade and Ricky Brown finished with 13 and nine points, respectively. The duo also recorded three steals apiece. It was Wade's fourth consecutive game with at least three steals.
Nathan Wilson tallied eight points on four field goals and pulled down seven rebounds, while Efe Sekeroglu grabbed five boards in 12 minutes of work.
FIRST HALF
OBU opened the game on a 4-0 sprint and retained the advantage for almost eight minutes until Harding crawled back to tie knot the game at 14-all.
Throughout the half, the ball clubs tied three more times before Harding broke through with a triple with 53 seconds left (29-26). On the next possession, a Brown layup pulled OBU within two before the buzzer rang to signal the break.
HU took a one-point lead into intermission after shooting 31.0 percent, while Oklahoma Baptist fired 46.1 percent from the field.
SECOND HALF
OBU retook the advantage a few minutes into the second stanza, but Harding regained the lead and extended it to 11 points by the 3:49 mark.
The Bison responded with a three-point shot from Wade before HU sunk two straight baskets to go back up by 12.
Then, with under a minute left, Harding's hot hand extinguished and allowed Oklahoma Baptist to trim its deficit. The efforts were to no avail despite a Coner three-point make as time expired.
UP NEXT
Oklahoma Baptist will take a day of rest before heading to Russellville for a 3:00 p.m. clash with the Wonder Boys of Arkansas Tech.
