Box Score

Deoirvay Johnson scored a game-high 23 points to lead Henderson State to a 75-56 blowout of East Central, Thursday at the Duke Wells Center in Arkadelphia, Ark.

Johnson helped the Reddies outscore the Tigers 41-23 in the second half as the senior from Fort Worth, Texas scored 19 points in the final 20 minutes.

Henderson State, 9-11 overall and 5-7 in the Great American Conference, won its sixth straight game over East Central.

The Tigers, 11-7 overall and 8-4 in league play, led 33-31 late in the first half before Kevin Kozan hit a 3-point field goal to put Henderson on top 34-33 at the break.

In the second half, leading 45-44 with 13:37 left in the game, the Reddies went on a 16-2 run to build a 61-46 advantage in a span of five minutes.

Johnson jump-started the Reddies, hitting back-to-back 3-point field goals off of assists from Aaron Harwell and Ryan Yeates.

Kozan pushed the Reddie lead to 56-46 with one of his three long range jumpers, followed by another trifecta by Johnson.

The Tigers were never a threat as East Central managed just four field goals during the final 13 minutes.

Henderson shot a blistering 61 percent from the field in the second half (14-of-23) and finished the game making 24-of-53 shots for 45 percent.

Even more impressive was that the Reddies made 8-of-10 shot from beyond the arc in the second half with Johnson making all four of his attempts, while Kozan sunk 3-of-4 tries.

Kozan ended the game with 15 points, while Taylor Smith scored 15 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. Reggie Murphy also scored in double-figures having 12 points while also grabbing 9 boards.

The Reddies totaled 15 assists with Harwell leading the way with seven dishes.

Henderson State will next play host to Southeastern Oklahoma on Saturday with tip-off slated for 4 p.m. at the Duke Wells Center.