ARKADELPHIA, AR - Henderson State got 18 points from Kevin Kozan and 17 more from Ben Marello, but Camron Talley hit three 3-pointers late to help East Central defeat the Reddies on Saturday 76-66 at the Duke Wells Center in Arkadelphia.

The Reddies got off to a great start in the game, as Kozan and Kyle Murphy each banged in 3-pointers to give Henderson a quick 6-0 advantage. With HSU up 15-11, ECU responded, going on a 9-0 run to grab their first lead, 20-15 with 8:49 left in the first half. Henderson cut the lead to 32-28 with 35 seconds to go, but the Tigers got a 3-pointer from Jamey Woods with nine seconds remaining, and then another, after a Reddies turnover, at the buzzer from Braxton Reaves to seize a 38-28 lead at the break.

HSU refused to go away and opened the second half with some stingy defense that held ECU scoreless for the first 5:43 of the period. That defense helped spark a 16-2 run that gave Henderson the lead back 44-40 with 11:46 to play. With Henderson up 48-47 and 10:11 to go, the Tigers went on a 9-0 spurt over the next three minutes to grab a 56-48 advantage. Again, the Reddies would not quit, clawing their way back to within two points at 61-59 with 3:25 remaining in the game. From there, Talley took over for ECU, hitting 3-pointers on each of the Tigers' next three possessions to give ECU a commanding 70-59 lead with 2:10 to go. Henderson tried one last time to regroup, cutting the deficit to eight on a 3-pointer from Kozan, but it was not enough and the Reddies ultimately fell 76-66.

Kozan led the way for HSU with 18 points and three 3-pointers, while Marello chipped in 17 points and had a team-high eight rebounds. The Reddies were in the game all afternoon despite the Tigers shooting 48.9 percent, largely due to Henderson winning the turnover battle 24-13. The loss drops the Reddies to 8-7 in Great American Conference play and 13-8 on the year. 

Henderson's next game is Thursday at 7:30 p.m. against UAM in Monticello, Arkansas.