BOX SCORE | BARTLESVILLE, Okla. – Harding, the defending Great American Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament champions, shot better than 50 percent from the floor, and from the 3-point arc, in registering an 89-77 quarterfinal victory against Southern Arkansas on Friday from the Bruin Fieldhouse.
The Bisons (14-13) carried a narrow 44-40 lead into the halftime break. Will Francis hit 6-of-9 shots and scored 17 of his 20 points in the opening 20 minutes. Harding extended the lead up to 17 late in the second half before the Muleriders (15-12) rallied to cut the deficit to six in the waning minutes. Harding hit 12 straight free throws to earn a trip to the semifinals for the third straight March.
Blake McNair paced the Bisons, who became the third-straight No. 6 seed to win a Men’s GAC Championship quarterfinal, with 24 points. He scored 19 in the second half, including 10-for-10 from the free-throw line. Andraz Kavas, a unanimous selection to the All-GAC First Team, scored 14 points, grabbed six rebounds and added four assists.
Kevin Jordan led the Muleriders with a game-high 26 points. He hit 11-of-15 from the floor and also grabbed 12 rebounds. SAU outscored Harding 52-34 inside the paint.
The Bisons will take on East Central in Saturday’s first men’s semifinal, set for 5:45 PM on GACSportsNetwork.com. Each team earned a win on their home floor. Harding won 87-80 on January 15 in Searcy, while East Central won 78-76 on Friday 21 in Ada. In that contest, Braxton Reeves won the game with a 3-pointer as time expired.