MAGNOLIA, Ark. — Henderson State could not find the stroke offensively on Thursday night in its Great American Conference opener as the Reddies fell 94-71 to Southern Arkansas.

The Reddies (4-2, 0-1) shot just 39.4 percent from the field in the loss and were out-rebounded for the first time this season, 42-26. SAU (6-1, 1-0) on the other hand was hot all night and hit 12 3-pointers while shooting 50 percent for the game.

Chris Parker led Henderson with 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting, while Raekwon Rogers had 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

The Muleriders got out to an early 18-10 lead on their home court, but back-to-back 3-pointers from Parker helped spur an 8-0 Reddies' run which tied the game at 18-18 with just under 12 minutes left in the opening period.

From that point on, it was all Southern Arkansas, as the Muleriders answered with an 11-0 run and eventually took a 45-33 advantage into the break. The margin never got any closer than 12 points the rest of the way as the Reddies went cold from the field to start the second half, allowing SAU to slowly pull away and coast to the win.

Henderson will be back in action on Saturday when it takes on Arkansas Tech at 3 p.m. in Russellville, Arkansas.