ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — Henderson State will look for a 2-0 road trip and its fifth-straight win on Saturday when the Reddies travel to Weatherford, Oklahoma to face Southwestern Oklahoma State at 3 p.m.
REDDIES REPORT
- Henderson (10-3, 5-2) won its third consecutive GAC contest and fourth-straight game overall on Thursday when it defeated NWOSU 84-69 on the road in Alva, Oklahoma. The Reddies outscored the Rangers 42-26 in the second half to pull away after trailing at the break and had five different players score in double figures.
- The victory over Northwestern Oklahoma, combined with favorable results around the league, helped move the Reddies into a four-way tie for first place in the conference standings. HSU is 5-2 in GAC play alongside Southeastern Oklahoma State, East Central and Arkansas-Monticello. Henderson's average margin of victory in its five league wins this season is 20 points.
- The Reddies' defense, which has led the conference in nearly every major defensive stat so far this season, showed up once again on Thursday against the Rangers. NWOSU shot just 38.2% from the field in the game and 32% in the second half. Northwestern's leading scorer coming into the game, Parrish Hewitt, was held to no points and was 0-for-7 from the floor in 31 minutes. HSU ranks No. 4 in all of NCAA DII basketball in field goal percentage defense (38% shooting for opponents).
- Anthony Lupardus is second in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage (48.2%) and has hit 13 of his last 18 attempts from beyond the arc. Both Chris Parker and Chris Owens are also in the Top-10 in the conference in 3-point shooting percentage with marks of 43.5% and 42.4%, respectively. HSU is the only school in the GAC with three players who all rank inside the Top-10 in the league in 3-point field goal percentage.
- Saturday's contest is the 18th meeting all-time between the two schools. Henderson leads the series 11-6 and has won eight-straight over SWOSU dating back to 2015. The Bulldogs' last victory over the Reddies came on Feb. 21, 2015.
SCOUTING SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA
- SWOSU comes into Saturday's game 7-6 overall and 3-4 in GAC play. The Bulldogs have won their last two conference games after defeating Southern Arkansas 72-67 last week on the road and beating Ouachita Baptist 67-61 on Thursday night at home. Southwestern is led by head coach Terry Evans, who is in his second season as the school.
- The Bulldogs' center piece this season has been guard Damion Thornton, who averages 19.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per contest. Fellow guard Marquis Johnson also averages double figures in points (11.8 per game) and leads the team with 4.3 assists per game. SWOSU leads the GAC in turnover margin this year (+4.92).
- Defensively, Southwestern Oklahoma leads the conference in turnovers forced (19.5 per game) and is second in the GAC in steals (9.2), trailing only Henderson State. The Bulldogs, however, are 12th in the league in both scoring defense (79.5 points allowed per game) and rebounding defense (40.8 rebounds per game to opponents). SWOSU is last in the GAC in rebounding margin (-6.4).
