MONTICELLO, Ark. — A slow start doomed Henderson State on Saturday, as Arkansas-Monticello shot out of the gates and never looked back in a 77-65 win over the Reddies at Steelman Field House.
Henderson (6-3, 2-2) fell behind from the get-go on the road, as UAM (8-1, 3-1) opened the game on a 10-0 run. The Reddies got a 3-pointer and layup from Maci Mains to jumpstart its offense and trimmed the deficit to 17-10 with 1:47 to go in the first quarter, but the Blossoms closed the period on a 6-2 spurt to hold a 23-12 advantage after the first 10 minutes.
Freshman Ashley Farrar gave HSU a boost to start the second quarter when she scored a quick seven points to help bring Henderson back within 33-23 with four minutes until the break. UAM again had an answer, however, and closed the half on a quick 8-4 run to maintain complete control and take a 41-27 lead into the locker room. The Reddies hit just 11 shots from the floor in the first half and were forced into 12 turnovers by the Blossoms' defense.
A 9-3 run to open the third quarter, capped by a 3-pointer from Hailey Estes, brought Henderson within 44-36 at the 4:36 mark, but UAM responded with a desperation 3-pointer of its own and a quick layup to swing momentum back in its favor.
Despite the Reddies scrapping and cutting the lead down to under double figures twice in the period, the Blossoms hit their final four shots of the quarter to finish with a flurry and carry a 14-point lead into the fourth. That cushion would prove insurmountable for HSU, as Monticello never allowed the Reddies within single digits again and pulled away for the win.
Estes played 39 minutes and gave Henderson 15 points and 13 rebounds on the day. Lexis Weber played one of the best games of her career in defeat for Henderson and finished with a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double, while Farrar chipped in a career-high 14 points off the bench.
Henderson's final game of the calendar year comes on Wednesday when the Reddies travel to Memphis, Tennessee to face Christian Brothers at 5 p.m.
