Henderson State extended its win streak to four games as the Reddies came from behind to beat Southern Arkansas 81-69 Thursday at the Duke Wells Center in Arkadelphia, Ark.
It what is becoming a familiar occurrence, Henderson State had to rebound from a halftime deficit for the fourth straight game. The Reddies found themselves trailing 39-31 at the break, but Henderson outscored the Muleriders 50-30 in the final 20 minutes.
Southern Arkansas, 11-8 overall and 4-3 in the Great American Conference, ended the first-half on an 11-3 run with the help of a pair of 3-point field goals and two free throws by Rodney Hill who ended the night with 18 points.
With the Muleriders leading 49-40 with 14:28 to play in the game, the Reddies went on a 10-0 run as Andrew Ensley converted on a traditional three-point play and a break-away layup, while KaJuan Watson busted a trey. Jonathan Fitzgerald then gave the Reddies its first lead of the second half with a dunk that brought the Reddie fans to their feet.
SAU regained the lead momentarily after a Chris Davis layup, but the Reddies put together another run scoring the next eight points to take a 58-51 lead with 8:53 to play in the game. Henderson State would never trail again.
The Reddie defensive pressure was too much for Southern Arkansas as Henderson State forced 23 turnovers and scored 31 points off of those miscues.
Four players scored in double-figures for Henderson as Ensley and Denzel Lyles each had 21 points. Lyles also had a team-high seven rebounds while Ensley had six boards.
Fitzgerald ended the night with 15 points and four assists, with Watson having 13 points.
Henderson State, 11-6 overall and 6-1 in the GAC, has won six straight home games and seven of its last eight games. The Reddies have a lead the GAC by one game over second-place Arkansas Tech.
The Reddies shot 48 percent from the field connecting on 30-of-63 shots, while converting on 5-of-18 3-point field goals for 29 percent.
Southern Arkansas countered shooting 45 percent from the floor making 27-of-60 attempts.
