SEARCY, Ark. – The Harding Bisons jumped out to an early double-digit lead and never looked back as they raced to a 100-88 win over the visiting Delta State Statesmen on Thursday at Rhodes Field House.

Trent Morgan scored a team-high 25 points for Harding (15-11, 7-6 Gulf South Conference) as the Bisons claimed a much-needed win to remain tied for fourth place in the GSC West with Christian Brothers.

Roderick Ollie (Indianola, Miss./Alabama-Birmingham) scored 25 points for Delta State (18-7, 9-4 GSC) before fouling out with 2:07 remaining in the game.

The Bisons used a 18-3 run in the early stages of the first half to establish a 26-13 lead with 11:28 remaining before halftime and did not see their lead fall into single-digits the rest of contest.

Harding continued to pour it on later in the period as the Bisons used a 12-0 run to build their biggest lead of the game at 52-27 with 2:14 remaining in the first half. The Bisons took a 53-31 into halftime.

The Bisons shot 61 percent (17-of-28) from the floor in the first half and drained 57 percent (28-of-49) of their shots for the game.

Delta State shot 41 percent (31-of-76) from the field for the game. During a spirited second half that saw the Statesmen score 57 points, DSU collectively shot 55 percent (22-of-40) from the floor.

Eric Spencer (Marion, Ark./Arkansas-Fort Smith) came off the bench to score 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Marqueys Brown (Memphis, Tenn./Crichton College) recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Dmitry Pirshin (Moscow, Russia/Gulf Coast CC) finished a point shy of a double-double, finishing the game with nine points and pulling in a DSU career-high 11 rebounds.

Though they trailed by 20 or more points for much of the second half, the Statesmen made a spirited comeback effort late in the game, using a 12-2 run between the 7:06 and 2:14 marks to make the score 85-74. However, the visitors would get no closer than 10 points from the lead the rest of the way.

The Statesmen return to action Saturday when they host Henderson State in the regular season finale at Sillers Coliseum. The game, part of DSU Basketball's Senior Night festivities, is scheduled for a 6 p.m. tipoff, and will start approximately 30 minutes after the women's contest between DSU and Henderson State.