Despite setback, Bisons still ready to win

by SARAH KYLE editor in chief

The Bison basketball team fell in overtime Thursday night, Feb. 24, to Arkansas Tech University, almost erasing the memory of the 30-point loss to the Wonder Boys Jan. 27.

Overcoming a rough first half and a 19-point lead by Arkansas Tech, the Bisons took the lead in the second half, bringing the game to overtime, where the Bisons were defeated 71-72.

Bison head coach Jeff Morgan said the team made a great effort, overcoming 13 turnovers in the first half.

“We got off to a bad start, turned it over too much at the beginning of the game, which allowed them to get some easy baskets, and we dug ourselves a big hole,” Morgan said. “But they did a great job, and they kept their composure, and they kept battling back.”

Turnovers were the biggest concern in playing Arkansas Tech, Morgan said.

“In basketball, Tech forces 23 to 24 turnovers a game,” Morgan said. “We had 13 at halftime, and I’m thinking, ‘Here we go again. We’re going to have 26.’ But the second half we only had five, and that was the biggest difference.”

But Thursday night’s game bore little resemblance to the team’s earlier defeat by the Wonder Boys, with both teams bringing their best to the court.

“Anybody who came to the game saw two teams spill everything they had on the floor,” Morgan said. “Our young men did an outstanding job just playing their guts out.”

Tech took the lead early in the game, with a 12-point run in the first 10 minutes cementing their advantage. By the end of the first half, however, the Bisons overcame Tech’s 19-point lead to bring the score to 25-35.

“I knew that if we could just get some stops on the defensive end and if we turned the ball over on offense, we could get some scores, and that’s what we did,” Morgan said. “To get it to 10 was a huge momentum for us.”

The Bisons stayed within 10 points of the Wonder Boys until freshman guard Weston Jameson brought Harding into the lead 10 minutes into the second half, 55-54.

Harding maintained the lead for almost all of regulation time, until a jumper by Tech’s Jared Williamson tied the game, 65-65, with 36 seconds left on the clock.

A turnover by Harding guard Stephen Blake brought the game to overtime.

“We wanted [Stephen] to initiate the play with about eight or nine seconds to go because it was tied up,” Morgan said. “We didn’t want them to have another chance.”

While Morgan said he had hoped the Bisons would get the final shot in regulation time and clinch the game, he said Blake’s efforts kept Harding in the game.

“We couldn’t have thrown up anything better than what we did at the end,” Morgan said. “He got a wide-open look, but we didn’t get the chance to rebound that in. If we had, [it would have been] ball game. But the ball went right through Kirk’s [Porter] hands, and he didn’t have a chance to get it up to the rim.”

The Bisons bounced back from their loss with an 89-70 victory over Henderson State last Saturday, Feb. 26.

Harding is now in the No. 2 seed from the West Division in the GSC Tournament. The Bisons will go up against West Georgia for the first round of the tournament tonight at 7:30 in Southaven, Miss.