Harding Women’s Basketball Hosts Southwestern Oklahoma State

Courtesy HU Athletics Department

SEARCY – The Harding women’s basketball team looks for their first win of the New Year on Thursday as they host Southwestern Oklahoma State in Great American Conference play at 5:30 p.m., at the Rhodes Field House.

The Lady Bisons (5-4, 1-2 GAC) ended 2012 with two straight wins. Harding defeated Missouri Southern State 72-53 on Dec. 15 in Searcy and then defeated Christian Brothers in Memphis, Tenn., 57-53 on Dec. 18. Junior guard Kristen Celsor scored a career-high 33 points against MSSU and then captured a double-double against CBU with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Sophomore guard Shana Holmes leads HU in scoring averaging 15.0 points per game which ranks fifth in the GAC. Celsor isn’t far behind her averaging 14.7 points, ranking her sixth in the GAC. Both players are shooting well this season. Celsor leads the team shooting 46.9 percent from the field, which ranks 10th in the GAC and Holmes is shooting 43.1 percent.

Shana Holmes leads the Lady Bisons in 3-pointers made and is tied for eighth in the GAC with 13. Holmes made three against Christian Brothers in her last outing.

Harding ranks tied for fourth in the GAC in steals averaging eight a game. Three HU players rank in the top 10 in the GAC – Kristen Celsor ranks second (2.1), sophomore forward Arielle Saunders ranks tied for seventh (1.6) and senior guard Deshelle Isaac-Boyce ranks tied for 10th (1.4).

Arielle Saunders ranks fourth in the GAC in blocks with 15. Saunders has recorded four blocks in a game twice this season – at East Central and against Missouri Southern State. She has had a block in seven out of the nine games this season.