Tweet #theGAC  FORT SMITH, Arkansas – Harding and Northwestern Oklahoma State, the top two seeds for the 2026 Great American Conference Women’s Basketball Championships successfully dodged upset bids from Southern Nazarene and East Central, respectively, on Thursday from Northside Grizzlies Arena. The No. 1 Lady Bisons fended off Southern Nazarene, 67-59, while the No. 2 Rangers beat East Central, 66-65, after a free throw by Summya Adigun with 1.5 seconds left.

The Tigers (15-12) narrowly missed pulling off its second quarterfinal win as the tournament’s No. 7 seed. Ten years ago, ECU knocked off Harding. On Thursday, a sterling third quarter flipped an eight-point lead for the Rangers (20-9) into a one-point ECU advantage.

The fourth quarter alone featured six ties and five lead changes. The Rangers’ Kennedy Hight made 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to give her team a 58-55 lead with 3:53 left. ECU’s Jayden Weiberg leveled the contest with her fifth 3-pointer and a Rylie Burnett jumper gave the lead back to the Tigers, 60-58. Kira Bass, the GAC’s unanimous Player of the Year converted a 3-point play and added a lay-up after a Tiger free throw for a 63-61 Ranger advantage.

Burnett converted two free throws to even the contest. Bass split two free throws off an offensive rebound to put Northwestern up 64-63. ECU’s Katie Edelen made a jump shot for a one-point Tiger lead with 28.3 seconds left. With 12.6 seconds left, Adigun got fouled after corralling a loose ball. On the ensuing ECU possession, Adigun deflected an entry pass and drew the deciding foul. After a miss, she converted her second attempt for the winning margin.

Bass, one of four Rangers to play all 40 minutes, scored 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Jada Shipp scored 13. Hight added and Adigun chipped in with 10, six assists and five rebounds. Edelen, Burnett and Weiberg combined for 46 points for the Tigers.

The Rangers face the winner of Arkansas Tech and Ouachita Baptist at 8 p.m. on Saturday. The Rangers seek their first appearance in the title game.  They split with the Golden Suns as both won on the other team’s home court. The Tigers claimed both regular-season meetings.

In Thursday’s nightcap, the backcourt tandem of Josie Williams and Kori Sanders accounted for 34 points in the eight-point victory for the Lady Bisons (24-5). They never trailed in the second half and reached the semifinals of the GAC Championships for a league-record 12th time.

Harding seized control early by virtue of a 13-0 first-quarter run.  The advantage grew to as large as 14, 33-19, late in the second quarter. Southern Nazarene (10-17) drew no closer than four points over the course of the game. The Lady Bisons outshot the Crimson Storm at the free-throw line, 19-of-25 as compared to 9-of-15.

Williams went 6-for-12 from the field and she made all seven of her free throws as she scored a game-high 20 points. In addition to her 14 points, Sanders grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Alli McAda added seven. Halyn Browning filled up the box score for the Crimson Storm. She scored a team-high 16 points, grabbed seven rebounds, handed out five assists and picked up two steals.

Harding will take on the winner of Henderson State and Southeastern Oklahoma State at 5:45 p.m. on Saturday. The Lady Bisons dropped two one-possession games to the Reddies, including a 77-75 decision in Saturday’s regular-season finale. Harding and Southeastern Oklahoma State split two games.