Tweet #theGAC  TOPEKA, Kansas - The Oklahoma Baptist Bison used a strong second-half surge to pull away from Harding, 77–68, on Saturday in an NCAA Division II Central Region Tournament first round game at Lee Arena.

It's the second NCAA Tournament win for the Bison and first since the 2020-21 season.

The matchup was tightly contested early, with Harding jumping out to a quick 5–0 lead before Oklahoma Baptist settled in. The Bison responded with balanced scoring and strong perimeter shooting to stay within striking distance. A late three by OBU's Joshua Udoumoh helped give the green and gold a 35-32 advantage heading into halftime.

Oklahoma Baptist flipped the momentum shortly after the break. A jumper by Reggie Webster briefly gave Harding the lead back, but OBU answered with a decisive run fueled by defensive pressure and transition scoring. A three-pointer from Austin Coner followed by a pair of baskets from brother Terry Coner Jr. helped push the Bison ahead by double digits midway through the second half.

OBU's offense was balanced throughout the afternoon. Coner Jr. and Udoumoh led the way with 17 points each, while Jackson Greene added 12 points. Coner chipped in 10. The Bison were particularly effective from beyond the arc, knocking down 9-of-18 three-point attempts.

Harding stayed within reach thanks to strong individual performances from Marko Rangan and Webster. Rangan scored a team-high 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Webster added 13 points and five rebounds. Thompson Camara and Ty Suess also contributed 10 points apiece for HU.

However, Oklahoma Baptist's defensive activity proved decisive. The Bison forced 13 turnovers and recorded 12 steals, turning those takeaways into key transition opportunities that helped maintain their lead down the stretch.

Christian Hodge and Erik Madrid provided a spark off the bench with eight points each, helping OBU finish with 21 bench points. Despite Harding holding a slight rebounding edge, Oklahoma Baptist's efficient shooting and timely defense secured the nine-point victory.

With the win, Oklahoma Baptist improved to 28–3 overall and advanced into the second round where they'll play third seed Central Missouri on Sunday at 5 p.m.