The seventh-ranked Drury Lady Panthers held off a fourth quarter rally by Harding to prevail 65-57 on Tuesday night in Searcy, Arkansas.
Drury improved to 8-1 and dropped Harding, who started the year ranked third in the nation, to 3-6. The Bisons returned four starters from a team that went 31-4 and advanced to the NCAA-II Final Four last year.
The Lady Panthers led by 17 at the end of the third quarter, 56-39, but Harding battled back and cut Drury’s lead to four with 4:10 remaining.
The Lady Panthers’ defense then locked down the Bisons and shut them out for the next three and half minutes to build their lead back to eight, 61-53, with less than a minute left.
Drury’s Heather Harman matched a season high with 23 points. The senior from Walnut Grove had 19 in the first half and ended the game going 7 for 15 from the field and 3 for 5 from three-point range. Drury’s other senior, Alice Heinzler, returned to the Lady Panthers line-up after missing Saturday’s game to score 20 points and go 5 for 10 from behind the three-point arc.
“Our kids came out ready to play and I was pleased with our defensive pressure,” said Drury head coach Molly Miller. “Our seniors had wonderful games, provided great leadership and they carried us.”
Drury forced 29 turnovers from Harding and outscored the Bisons 26-10 in points-off-turnovers. The Lady Panthers were 10 for 24 from three-point range while Harding went 3 for 14 from long-range.
The win was Drury’s sixth in a row.
The Lady Panthers stay on the road with a conference game at Quincy on Thursday. Tipoff is at 5:15 p.m. at the Pepsi Center in Quincy, Illinois.
