Henderson State overcame a six-point halftime deficit to beat Rogers State 49-48, Saturday in Arkadelphia, Ark.
The Reddies, 5-4 on the season, won their third straight game with all three in the friendly confines of the Duke Wells Center.
It was a difficult start for Henderson as the Reddies shot 18.5 percent from the field making just 5-of-27 field goals.
Henderson finished the first half hitting on two of their last 11 field goal attempts and committing six turnovers in the final five minutes to fall behind 24-18 at the break.
The second half began much differently for the Reddies as
Dulincia Keener opened the third quarter with a layup, while
Brittany Branum and
Victoria Stewart hit back-to-back 3-point field goals as the Reddies opened with a 9-0 run to take a 27-24 lead.
The Henderson defense forced six turnovers in the first seven minutes of the quarter, with Rogers State making its first field goal with 3:24 left in the quarter.
RSU's Natasha Kindred would finish the quarter with a pair of layups and Henderson would hold a 35-32 lead with one quarter remaining.
Tied at 38-38 with 6:35 left to play, Stewart would put Henderson on top with a jumper followed by a trifecta by
Haleigh Henson to put the Reddies up by five.
Keener would push the Henderson lead to 47-40 with a layup with 4:06 remaining. However, the Hillcats (5-2 on the year) would score the next three baskets to make it a one-point game at the 2:13 mark.
Following a free throw by Stewart, Kindred would tie the score at 48-48 on a layup with 83 seconds left to play.
Keener would give HSU the lead making one of two free throws with 23 second remaining.
Henderson's defense would hold off Rogers State as Courtney Smith's 3-point attempt was off target and the Reddies would force a turnover on the inbounds pass as time expired.
Keener led the Reddies with 19 points and 7 rebounds, while Stewart and Branum both added 11.
After a dismal shooting first-half, the Reddies shot 42 percent in the second half to finish the game making 15-of-51 shots for 29 percent.
Henderson State will take a break for finals before returning to the court next Saturday to face Texas A&M-Commerce in Commerce, Texas.
