BARTLESVILLE, Okla. – No. 4 seed Harding placed six scorers in double-figures to highlight its 78-52 win over No. 5 seed Henderson State on Friday in the opening round of the inaugural Great American Conference Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament.

HU’s Arielle Saunders led the way individually with 20 points, more than half coming from a 12-of-13 free-throw shooting performance. Harding’s other double-digit scorers included Tabitha Haney with 13 points, Kristen Celsor with 12 points, Kallie Bartee with 11 points, and Montana Lewis and Cherilyn McMenamy with 10 points each.

As a team, Harding shot 51.1 percent from the field, while holding Henderson State to a 34.6 percent outing. Harding’s notable difference came at the charity stripe. The Lady Bisons made 26-of-31 attempts, while the Lady Reddies were 12-of-20. HU also outrebounded HSU 38-23.

Crystal Harrison led Henderson State with 14 points on a perfect 6-of-6 field goal shooting performance. Teammate Cheree Freeman added 10 points.

Harding improves to 17-10 overall and is set to face No. 8 Southeastern Oklahoma State in the GAC semi-finals, scheduled for Saturday at 8:30 p.m. inside the Bruin Fieldhouse.

Henderson State ends its season with an overall record of 14-13.

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