Harding Men's Basketball opens Monday with Central Baptist - KAIT-Jonesboro, AR-News, weather, sports

Harding Game Notes

Harding men's basketball opens its 69th season of intercollegiate competition Monday when it hosts Central Baptist for a non-conference matchup. Tip-off at the Rhodes Field House is at 7:30 p.m.

The game will air live in Searcy on KVHU 95.3-FM and TV16 with Billy Morgan and Scott Goode on the call. Live audio, video and statistics will be available on HardingSports.com.

Harding head coach Jeff Morgan is in his 20th season with the Bisons. His teams have never lost a home opener, and Harding has a streak of 36 straight home opening wins that began with the 1976-77 season.

Harding returns all five starters from last season's team that finished 13-14 overall. Four of those starters—senior Bradley Spencer, junior Weston Jameson, junior Hayden Johnson, and senior Zach Roddenberry—are expected to start Monday.

Junior forward Matt Walters started 19 games last season but will come off the bench Monday after suffering a concussion during preseason practice. Senior Adam Sterrenburg, a transfer from Arkansas State, is expected to make his first start as a Bison.

Roddenberry, a native of Conyers, Ga., is Harding's top returning scorer and rebounder. He averaged 15.3 points and 7.1 rebounds last season and led Division II with a 70.1 field goal percentage. Spencer averaged 12.6 points and 5.0 rebounds, and Johnson averaged 9.9 points.

Central Baptist is already four games into its season and has a 1-3 record. The Mustangs, members of the NAIA Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference, are coming off an 86-70 loss to Union (Tenn.) on Saturday in Jackson, Tenn.

Harding and Central Baptist have met nine times, all in Searcy, and the Bisons have won all nine with an average margin of victory of 25.7 points.

Harding defeated Central Baptist 96-59 last season on Dec. 3 in Searcy. Harding had five players score 10 points or more, led by Spencer's 15. Harding made eight 3-pointers in the second half of the game and scored 58 points after halftime.

Sophomore forward Spencer Caraway, who had 12 points and 10 rebounds against Harding last season, leads Central Baptist in scoring with a 22.0-point average.