Eight Straight: Bisons Defeat Central Baptist, 69-54

SEARCY – Harding had a tough shooting night but did everything else right and pulled out a 69-54 victory over Central Baptist in non-conference men's basketball action Saturday at the Rhodes Field House. It was Harding's eighth straight home win dating to last season.

Harding (7-1) shot just 36 percent from the field, but hit 20-of-29 free throws and scored 25 points off Central Baptist's 20 turnovers. The Bisons won the rebound battle 45-37 and had a season-low 13 turnovers.

Harding led 18-8 at the 11:45 mark after two free throws from freshman Weston Jameson. Central Baptist (3-7) then went on a 13-3 run and tied the game at 21-all on Matt Velek's jumper with 8:05 left.
Bison sophomore Lance Cannon scored the next three points which jumpstarted a 17-4 Harding run over the next six minutes. Senior Stephen Blake's free throw at the 1:48 mark gave Harding a 13-point lead, 38-25.

Harding led 41-30 at halftime and opened the second half with a quick five-point spurt. The Bisons led by at least 10 points the rest of the way and built the margin to 21 on a Jameson layup with 8:39 left.
Sophomore Bradley Spencer, a starter the last five games for Harding, did a little of everything for the Bisons. He led the team with 12 points and added six rebounds, five assists and four steals. Seven other Bisons had six points or more. Cannon came off the bench to score seven points and grab a team-high eight rebounds in only 13 minutes of action.

Central Baptist junior Tommy Williams, a transfer from Missouri-West Plains, led all scorers with 16 points. Senior Will Johnson added 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Mustangs.

Harding has started a season 7-1 seven times in program history, the last came in 2008-09.

Harding's next action is Tuesday against North Alabama in Florence. Game time is 6 p.m.