– Southern Nazarene upset top-seeded Oklahoma Baptist and Harding rallied for an overtime win against Ouachita Baptist in the semifinals of the 2026 Great American Conference Men’s Basketball Championships from Northside Grizzly Arena.
The Crimson Storm (23-7) overcame a six-point halftime deficit by outscoring the Bison (27-3) by 11 over the final 20 minutes in the 77-72 victory. A 25-9 run that spanned more than 10 minutes of the second half proved the difference.
The win snapped the Bison’s 18-game win streak. For the Crimson Storm, they have eliminated the top seed of the tournament for the third time in the last five years. In both 2022 and 2024, they defeated top-ranked Southeastern Oklahoma State squads in the same semifinal round.
After shooting 37.5 percent in the first half, Southern Nazarene went 14-for-26 in the second half. Defensively, the Crimson Storm held Oklahoma Baptist to just 34.5 percent for the second half. They held GAC Player of the Year Terry Coner, Jr. to 7-of-18 shooting.
For the second-straight game, Joe Mpoyo paced his team in scoring from his reserve role. He scored 17 points and connected on three 3-pointers. Baron Bracey added 16 points and a team-best six rebounds. Bam Johnson matched Bracey’s total on 5-of-8 shooting. Tracy Godfrey Jr. made 6-of-10 en route to 15 points. Aaron Potter added 10. Coner, Jr. scored a game-high 23.
In the second semifinal, Keyln McBride made seven 3-pointers, including the go-ahead one with 37.3 seconds as the Bisons (237) defeated Ouachita Baptist, 81-78, to knock out the Tigers of the GAC Championships for the second-straight year.
McBride scored 10 of his game-high and career-high 31 points in the overtime. For the game, he went 7-for-17 from the 3-point arc. The 17 attempts established a GAC Championship record. With his team down 60-50, he jumpstarted a 17-4 run late in the second half that gave the Bisons a 3-point lead late in regulation.
Devon Hancock, the league’s Newcomer of the Year, brought the Tigers (23-7) level at 67 apiece with a 3-point play in the final minute of regulation. McBride had three opportunities before the final buzzer but he missed on all three attempts and sent the game to overtime.
McBride and Reggie Webster hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions in overtime for a four-point lead. The Bisons never trailed the remainder of the contest.
Webster, the GAC Freshman of the Year, provided 17 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Bisons. PJ Neal led the Tigers with 17 points. He added eight assists. Hancock scored 15.
The wins by the Crimson Storm and the Bisons set up the first finals rematch in the 15-year history of the GAC. A year ago, inside nearby Southside Arena, Harding edged Southern Nazarene, 75-74. This year’s final tips off at 1 p.m. During the regular season, Harding won both contests, 74-67 in Bethany, and 81-60 in Searcy.