Box Score
Deoirvay Johnson scored 24 points and
Melvin Haynes added 21 as Henderson State opened its season with an 84-79 win over Southwest Baptist, Friday in Bolivar, Mo.
Johnson, who returned to the court after sitting out last season, scored 17 points in the first-half and was a perfect 5-for-5 from beyond the 3-point arc.
The senior from Fort Worth, Texas ended the game hitting 8-of-13 shots from the field and was 3-for-4 from the foul line to lead the Reddies.
"Deiorvay hit his first six shots of the game including five 3-pointers in 7 minutes of play in the first half," said Reddie head coach
Doug Nichols. "What was great to see was the excitement of the players on the court and on the bench. I haven't seen that emotion in a long time."
Haynes (Akron, Ohio) was equally effective hitting of 5-of-10 shots from the field, 8-for-8 from the charity stripe while also grabbing 5 defensive rebounds and dishing out 6 assists.
Junior
Taylor Smith (Kensett, Ark.) scored 13 points and had 5 assists, while freshman
Kevin Kozan (New Lenox, Ill.) had 13 points including three treys.
"We shot the ball well on the road in a hostile environment and did some great things offensively," said Nichols. "To open the season on the road and survive some second half runs against a really good basketball team shows the character of this team."
The Reddies built a 14-point lead early in the second-half, but the Bearcats charged back and went on a 16-2 run to tie the score at 51-51 with 15:55 left in the game as SBU crashed the boards grabbing 10 rebounds during the stretch.
"We still have a lot of things to work on, but I am pleased with the win," said Nichols. "We let them get too many offensive rebounds in the second half which resulted in second chance points that let them get back in the game."
From the point on, the lead changed hands nine times before Johnson hit one of two free throws and Kozan hit a big 3-point field goal to give Henderson an 80-76 lead with 1:50, a lead the Reddies would not surrender.
"Kevin had a great game for his first collegiate game," Nichols said. "What the box score doesn't show is that he made some great defensive plays that forced some key turnovers which allowed us to capitalize."
After redshirting last season,
Ronald Lawson (East St. Louis, Ill.) returned to the court having a solid performance scoring five points, grabbed a team best seven rebounds while having three assists, three steals and a pair of blocked shots.
The Reddies ended the game hitting 29-of-59 shots from the floor for 49 percent shooting from the field, but more importantly hit some key free throws down the stretch to secure the win.
Southwest Baptist converted on 27-for-67 from the floor for 40 percent shooting. The Bearcats were led by Desi Barmore's 15 points.
"We struggled at first from the foul line but made some key shots down the stretch," said Nichols. "I was most proud of the way we took care of the basketball. We had 19 assists compared to just 7 turnovers. We were moving the ball and playing like a team and not individuals which is what it takes to be successful."
Henderson State will conclude its play at the Southwest Baptist Classic with a Saturday game against Lincoln University at 5:30 p.m. Lincoln lost to Arkansas Tech 99-63 earlier in the day.
