Box Score SEARCY, Ark. – Southeastern put four players in double-figures, but it was not enough to pick up a win on the road in the season finale, falling at Harding by an 83-69 margin on Saturday afternoon in Searcy, Ark.
The loss drops the Savage Storm to 10-16 overall on the year and 8-12 in Great American Conference play heading into the conference tournament in Bartlesville, Okla., March 7-10.
SE will not have to wait long to get a rubber-match against the Bisons as the two will meet in a rematch in the first game of the GAC tournament at noon on March 7 in a matchup of the No. 3 Seed and No. 6 seed.
Cheree Kiser earned her first start of the season and led the team with 15 points with a 5-of-8 shooting night that included a 3-of-5 mark from three-point range.
Bailey Welch was right behind with 14 points, while
Natalie Ruud matched her, with Rood connecting on four three pointers in the game.
Haley Schaefer rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11.
Welch also led the way in assists with five, while Kiser and
Taylor Richards each added two.
Schaefer led the squad in rebounds with seven, while Welch and
Emily Williams each pitched in five.
Southeastern shot 35.7 percent from the field in the game, but were better from long range, connecting on 10-of-23 three point tries for a 43.5 percent mark.
Harding owned the offensive glass, holding a 15-0 edge in second-chance points on the contest, while also owning large advantages in bench points and points in the paint.
Kiser and Ruud staked SE to a 6-0 lead with back-to-back threes to open the game, but HU answered with a 13-2 run to take a 13-8 lead.
SE would eventually tie the game on a Ruud three with 9:36 to play in the half and regain the lead 30 seconds later on a pair of Welch free throws.
The teams would trade the lead once more before the Bisons again jumped out to a five-point advantage.
This time it was a pair of Ruud free throws and a Welch three that knotted the game at 28-28 with 3:51 to play in the half.
HU, however, would score the final seven points of the half and take a 35-28 lead at halftime.
The deficit would grow to eight points early, but the Storm would rally with a 12-2 run capped by a pair of Welch free throws to tie the game at 40-40.
HU would answer with a bucket, but SE would regain the lead when Schaefer drained her first three of the season with 15:52 to play.
The Bisons would again answer and Schaefer would again put SE back in front, this time with a pair of free throws to make the lead 45-44 with 13:56 to play.
HU would answer with back-to-back bucket and SE would twice tie the game before the Bisons would push their lead to 54-50 with 10:34 to play.
A Kiser three with 7:34 to play would close the gap to 59-58, but that was as close as it would get.
Southeastern would get the deficit to two possessions at 67-62 with 4:07 to play, but the Bisons would finish by outscoring SE 16-10 down the stretch to make the final 83-69.
