Harding scores 28, hits game-winner as Raiders upset No. 22 NCU
SOU Sports Information
ASHLAND – Dominique Harding added some style points to her career-high total in carrying the Southern Oregon women's basketball team to a signature win Saturday at Lithia Motors Pavilion.
Harding, a sophomore guard from Reno, Nev., scored 28 against 22nd-ranked Northwest Christian and drove to the basket to bank home the game-winner with 1.7 seconds left on the clock, giving the Raiders a 76-74 upset in Cascade Conference action.
Harding shot 11-of-15, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range, and her final triple created by a transition pass to the corner from Daranda Hinkey tied the game at 74-all with 1:56 to go.
The score was the same with nine seconds left when Syd'Nee Fryer stole NCU's inbounds pass from the sideline. After Harding put the Raiders in front, the Beacons' desperation attempt at the buzzer fell short of the rim.
SOU – which started the week with a dramatic 61-56 defeat of Oregon Tech but had its six-game wining streak snapped Friday against Corban – improved to 12-6 overall and 8-3 in the CCC and stand in a second-place tie with Corban.
The first-place Beacons (13-4, 7-2) remain a game ahead in the loss column. They'd won 11 of their last 12 when the night began.
With the clutch takeaway, Fryer finished with 13 points, a career-high 15 rebounds and seven assists – notching her third double-double of the season. Kami Walk added 10 points and seven boards, and Daranda Hinkey had five points and seven assists.
Harding got hot early, scoring 19 in the first half to push the Raiders to a 40-31 lead at the break. An 11-point advantage evaporated within four minutes in the third quarter though, as NCU claimed the lead behind Morgan McKinney's 12 third-quarter points.
McKinney finished with 19 points and four assists, while Aspen Slifka (14 points) and Kaylen Kamelamela (11 points, 6 assists) joined her in double figures.
The teams traded leads six times and were tied at four points in the second half. The Beacons went up by six on Sarah Reinecker's 3 with 3:18 remaining but didn't score again, and Walk answered with a three-point play before Harding's game-tying triple.
After playing three games in four days, the Raiders are off until next Friday at College of Idaho.