MONTICELLO — The University of Arkansas at Monticello women's basketball team fell to Great American Conference foe Harding on Thursday night at home by a final score of 71-55.

The Blossoms (11-9, 8-8 GAC) started off quickly as freshman Ayesha Wahid hit the team's opening shot of the game, a deep 3-pointer, to give UAM an immediate 3-0 lead.  Both teams started the game with high shooting percentages as UAM hit five of its first six shots and Harding made five of its first eight attempts from the floor. The Bisons held a slim one-point lead halfway through the opening frame, 14-13.

The Bisons (14-6, 12-4 GAC) defense settled in, holding the Blossoms scoreless for a stretch of over five minutes while continuing to hit their shots from the floor, going on a 14-0 run, to take a nine-point lead of 22-13 with two minutes to go in the first quarter.  The Blossoms missed their final nine shots of the quarter to allow Harding to hold a 24-14 lead at the end of one.

Harding's dominant offensive performance continued in the second quarter as part of an extended 35-6 run that began early in the first.  HU led by as many as 22 points with 4:40 to go in the second, 38-16. 
 
After starting off strong offensively, the Blossoms dropped off and ended up hitting just one of their next 18 shots from the floor before a Tori Nichols 12-foot jumper broke the drought.  A personal 5-0 run by Nichols with just over two minutes to go in the half followed by a pair of free throws from Cheridan Burroughs closed the gap to 15, 38-23.  UAM ended the half on an 11-1 run and closed to within 12 at intermission, 39-27.

The second half began with the teams trading baskets early.  UAM hit three of its first four shots in the half and closed to within eight, 41-33, with 7:30 to go in the third.  Harding hit just one shot in the first five minutes of the half, but the Blossoms were unable to take advantage and Harding led by 10 halfway through the quarter. 
 
A Nikki Mullen three and a pair of Mia Hayes free throws brought the Blossoms to within five, 43-38, with 3:44 to go in the third.  Harding responded with a 7-0 run and pushed its lead out to double-digits at the two-minute mark of the period.  The teams traded baskets to end the frame, and Ayesha Wahid drilled a 35-footer at the buzzer to bring the Blossoms to within nine heading into the final 10 minutes, 53-44.

The Blossoms hit just 14 of their final 50 shots after starting the game 5-for-6.  UAM was led by Ayesha Wahid who had 15 points.  Nikki Mullen joined her in double-figures with 13. The Bisons held UAM's leading scorer Jordan Goforth under 10 points for the first time of the season.
 
Harding's Sydney Layrock led all scorers with 25 points.

The Blossoms begin a three-game road swing this Saturday at Henderson State. Tipoff is 1 p.m. in Arkadelphia.