SEARCY -- Though the visiting team on the scoreboard Monday night, Harding University's women's basketball team completed a perfect home record with a 58-56 comeback victory over Emporia State in the NCAA Division II Central Region final.
The Great American Conference regular-season and tournament champion, Harding rallied from 18 points down early in the second half and won its first region title. The Lady Bisons were 0-2 in the region tournament before defeating Arkansas Tech and Central Missouri this weekend at Rhodes-Reaves Field House, where Harding was 15-0 this season.
Sophomore Sydnie Jones flashed across the lane for a basket that gave Harding its first lead of the second half, 57-56 with 41 seconds left. Sophomore Riley Rose made the first of two free throws with 9.2 seconds left, and Emporia State's Addie Lackey missed a three-point attempt as time expired.
Harding advances to the Division II Elite Eight on March 21 in Columbus, Ohio. The Lady Bisons (31-3) set a school record for victories in the semifinals.
Jones finished with 16 points, tying senior A'ndrea Haney for the team lead, and had 10 rebounds. Jones, Haney and MVP Caroline Hogue represented Harding on the all-tournament team
Hogue, with a running bank shot, made a three-point play that pulled Harding within 50-49 with 6:47 remaining. The sophomore finished with 13 points and eight rebounds.
Haney sank an off-balance shot in the lane that pulled the Lady Bisons within 56-55 with 1:24 left.
Harding trailed 38-24 at halftime and by 18 points after Emporia State (29-5) scored the first four points of the second half. The Lady Bisons pulled within 48-42 after three quarters and made it a one-point game on four occasions before taking the lead. Rose, scoreless in the first half, followed a teammate's missed air ball with a basket to make it 52-51. She finished with eight points.
Emporia State senior Kathryn Flott had a double-double by halftime and finished with 18 points and 19 rebounds. Lackey totaled 13 points and junior Jacee Kramer 12 for the Lady Hornets, the designated home team Monday night because of its No. 1 seed. Harding hosted the regional because Emporia State had a scheduling conflict with the Kansas high school tournament.
The other teams reaching Elite Eight are Virginia Union (25-4), West Florida (27-6), Columbus (Ga.) State (30-1), Queens (N.Y.) College (26-4), West Texas A&M (25-8), Ashland (Ohio) University (33-0) and the winner of Monday night's game between Simon Fraser and Cal Baptist. Quarterfinal seedings and matchups are expected to be announced today.
Sports on 03/14/2017