MAGNOLIA, AR - Despite falling into a big hole early in the game, Henderson State got 23 points from Hailey Estes and some clutch free throws late to erase a 13-point deficit and defeat Southern Arkansas 69-65 on Saturday afternoon in Magnolia, Arkansas.

SAU got off to a quick start at home, opening up the game on a 15-2 run while Henderson struggled to hit from the floor. Despite finding themselves down by double figures almost instantly, the Reddies responded with an 11-2 spurt over the next four minutes to cut the deficit to 17-13 at the end of one.

The Lady Muleriders extended the lead back out to seven, 22-15, in the second quarter, but Henderson had another big run in them, and used a combination of great defense and transition play to finish the period on a 15-1 run which turned the tables and gave the Reddies a 30-23 advantage at the halftime break.

HSU did not let up in the third, as they grabbed their largest lead of the game 48-36 on a layup by Blu Jones with 2:31 to go in the quarter. SAU got two quick buckets to get it back down to single digits but a jumper by Torrie Thompson gave HSU a 50-40 lead with 10 minutes to play in the game.

Henderson was able to maintain the lead for the majority of the fourth period, never letting the Lady Muleriders within two scores throughout the quarter. SAU refused to go away, though, and with HSU up 65-58 with 47 seconds remaining, the Lady Muleriders went on a 5-0 spurt in a 21 second window to trim the lead to just two, 65-63, with 26 seconds to play. From there, the Reddies shut the door at the free throw line, as Brittany Branum and Haleigh Henson both hit two from the stripe down the stretch to help Henderson ice the game and win it 69-65.

Freshmen proved big for the Reddies in the win, as Estes led the way with a game-high 23 points, Pink Jones had 11 points and three steals, and Blu Jones chipped in 11 points of her own. Henderson won the rebounding battle with a bigger SAU team 47-38 and also forced 12 Lady Mulerider turnovers in the victory. The win improves HSU to 8-9 in GAC play on the season.

The Reddies' next game is Monday at 5:30 p.m. against rival Ouachita Baptist in the Duke Wells Center in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.