SEARCY, Ark. – Terry Coner Jr. retrieved his missed jump shot and dished out to his brother
Austin Coner who then sank a right-wing three to give No. 10 Oklahoma Baptist a thrilling, come-from-behind 78-73 win at Harding on Thursday.
OBU won for the ninth straight game and improved to 18-2 overall and 12-2 in the Great American Conference. Historically, the last time an OBU team had a winning streak this long was in the 2011-12 season (13 games).
In a back-and-forth thriller, Oklahoma Baptist's defense really made a difference in the second half. The visitors from Shawnee held the hosts to just 25 percent shooting.
Coner Jr. led the way for Oklahoma Baptist with a team-high 20 points, while
Jackson Greene added 16 points and six rebounds.
A. Coner provided a spark with 13 points on perfect 5-of-5 shooting, including that clutch three with 48 seconds remaining to give the Bison a late lead
. He also added a career-high five assists. Joshua Udoumoh sealed the win with a fastbreak dunk in the closing moments.
Harding was powered by Keyln McBride's 19 points and Wesley Booker's 16
. Reggie Webster was nearly perfect from the charity stripe, hitting 12-of-14 free throws, but HU's cold streak from deep (2-of-12 in the second half) proved too much to overcome.
Furthermore, OBU won the rebounding battle 32-31 and outscored Harding 34-18 in the paint.
The Bison will now turn their attention to Arkansas Tech. That contest comes Feb. 7 at 3 p.m. in Russellville.
