Harding played basketball games last week?

I actually knew they did, but I’ve been moving pretty constantly since the middle of last week, and I haven’t had the chance to write up game summaries.  It’s a good thing I don’t blog for a living, although I bet I could be decent at it if I didn’t have a pesky regular job.

This weekend, I worked on some of the electrical outlets in the basement, picked up a truckload of ceiling tile (not really doing anything with it yet), and cleaned the house for an impromptu Super Bowl party.  So, no time for blogging.

Now that I’ve shared some pitiful excuses, let’s talk basketball.  The Bisons split last week’s games, losing at home to Delta State 72-70 and winning at Ouachita Baptist 69-67.  Those games completed the first seven-game half of the Bisons’ GSC schedule, with Harding now alone in fifth place at 3-4.  Five of those seven games were decided by five or fewer points (three losses, two wins).  Change a mere handful of possessions, and the Bisons could either be 6-1 or 1-6.  Instead, #17 Christian Brothers and Henderson State hold those records, and the Bisons fall squarely in between.

I won’t go into much detail for this past week’s games.  Kevin Brown performed his disappearing act against DSU, and the guards couldn’t shoot the Bisons back into the game.  The team finished at 32% from the field, and they won’t win many games that way.  Neither team could get a defensive rebound, and that kept the Bisons in the game.

The Bisons controlled the boards at OBU, and Steven Barnett had an 18-point scoring effort, although it was his second straight game with 7 turnovers.  Trent Morgan’s poor shooting continued, but he was eclipsed in that department by OBU’s Antonio Benjamin, who put up a donut in eleven field goal tries.  Turnovers were the main reason the Tigers stayed in the game, since the Bisons shot pretty well.

The Bisons get Saturday off this week, but they’ll need a revenge win at home against Henderson State on Thursday to keep pace in the West.  Harding provided the Reddies with their only win in the conference season’s first half.  Next Thursday, the Bisons will travel to SAU needing another win because the schedule gets much tougher from there.