Henderson State put together a strong second half effort on Monday evening, but would come up just short, falling 86-79 at Ouachita in Great American Conference play.

After trailing 40-32 at intermission, the Reddies would take their first lead of the game at the 11:33 mark of the second half on a Kaylon Tappin three-pointer from the top of the key to make the score 55-52.

A back-and-forth battle ensued over the next four minutes of play, as the game saw six lead changes.

With just over four minutes to go, the Reddies found themselves down four before Tappin drove the lane and knocked in an off balance layup to pull HSU within a 69-67 score.

However, OBU would go on an 8-1 run over the next two minutes to regain an eight point lead.

For the remainder of the game, the HSU could pull no closer than five as the Tigers escaped with the victory.

Kevin Kozan had the hot hand, as he led all HSU scorers on the night with 21 points, knocking down four three-pointers and shooting 7-of-14 from the field.

HSU also got a strong performance from Tappin, as the sophomore guard pitched in 17 points and hit 8-of-10 attempts from the charity stripe.

A total of four Reddies score in double figures, as Matt Panaggio contributed 13 points, while Tavian Pomlee had 12 including three treys.

On the night, HSU finished shooting 43 percent from the field on 23-of-54 attempts, while OBU was 29-of-51 for 57 percent.

HSU also knocked down 25-of-33 attempts from the free throw line for 76 percent, and forced 17 Ouachita turnovers while committing only 10.

The Reddies will look to rebound on Thursday, as HSU travels to Arkansas Tech for a 7:30 p.m. showdown with the Wonderboys.