BETHANY, Okla. — Harding University rallied from a nine-point fourth quarter deficit to force overtime and eventually pull away for an 82-74 victory over the Pittsburg State University women's basketball team in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Division II National Tournament Friday (Mar. 15).

The Lady Bisons (26-5) advance to the Central Region semifinals to meet top-seeded Southern Nazarene University Saturday (Mar. 16) at the Sawyer Center on the SNU campus. The Gorillas end their season with a 24-8 overall record.

Pitt State led 59-50 with 5:53 to play, but HU outscored the Gorillas 19-10 down the stretch, knotting the score at 69-69 on a 3-pointer by Josie Williams with seven seconds to play in regulation.

In the extra session, HU's Maddie Holt hit a 3-pointer seven seconds into the period. Macie Mays countered with a basket, but Williams buried another 3-pointer to give the Lady Bisons a 75-71 edge. Mays again pulled Pitt State within two points, at 75-73, but HU closed out the game on a 9-1 run.

Karenna Gerber scored a team-leading 22 points for the Gorillas on 10 of 13 shooting from the field, before fouling out with 12 seconds to play in regulation. Alba Lozano Davila added 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Grace Pyle finished with 13 points and Mays chipped in with nine.

HU's Aubrey Isbell led all scorers with 23 points, while Sage Hawley added 18 points. Isbell and Hawley both fouled out in the fourth quarter. Williams also scored 18 points in the game and Rory Geer chipped in with 13.

The Gorillas were making their 13th all-time trip to the NCAA-II Tournament – the program's seventh berth in the last 11 seasons and the third appearance under head coach Amanda Davied.