ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — Karrington Whaley tied a career-high with 22 points and led four Reddies in double figures as Henderson State opened 2020 with an 84-73 victory over the Oklahoma Baptist Bison.

Whaley was ultra-efficient for Henderson State (8-3, 3-2) and connected on 9-of-12 shots including her lone attempt from behind the arc. The junior also tallied her third double-double of the season after pulling down 10 rebounds. Hailey Estes joined Whaley in the double-double club with 13 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. It was the senior's fifth double-double of the 2019-20 campaign. 

Pink Jones was just one rebound short of becoming the third Reddie with a double-double, finishing with 15 points and nine rebounds on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor. Lani Snowden exploded for 11 points in the fourth quarter and joined her teammates as the fourth HSU player in double figures.

Henderson State has now won five-straight meetings against Oklahoma Baptist.

The Reddies will try and stay perfect at home on Saturday when they host Southern Nazarene at 1 pm.  

1st Quarter
Oklahoma Baptist got off to an excellent start on Thursday as the Reddies could not find an answer for the post play of OKBU. The Bison revolved around transfer Nwarie Ugochinyere early and often as she scored nine of OKBU's first 11 points to push Oklahoma Baptist to an 11-6 advantage. The Reddies answered quickly however, as a 3-point field goal from Maci Mains tied the score 11-11 with 3:21 to play in the first half. The Bison were able to reclaim the momentum at the end of the first frame when Charissa Price connected from 40 feet away as time expired to give OKBU a 20-17 advantage.

2nd Quarter
The beginning of the second quarter saw Whaley begin to take over the ball game. Trailing 22-19, Whaley scored on three straight possessions to give HSU their largest lead 25-22. Minutes later, Whaley stepped behind the arc to knock down a 3-pointer sent HSU to a 30-26 advantage. After trading runs, Henderson maintained their four point lead at the halftime break, 39-35.

3rd Quarter
Henderson State took quick control after the intermission and began the third quarter on an 8-2 run with all four baskets coming from different players. Despite the double-digit deficit, OKBU refused to roll over, cutting HSU's lead to just two, 51-49 with 3:54 to play in the period. Two free throws from Pink Jones gave the Reddies some breathing room as Henderson took a 60-55 lead into the final frame.  

4th Quarter
For the second period in a row, the Reddies dominated the flow of action and ran out to a 13-point lead after an 8-0 spurt highlights by 3-pointers from Mains and Blu Jones. After OKBU cut the lead to five, 69-64, Snowden put the game on ice with three 3-pointers in less than 90 seconds, pushing HSU's lead to 12, 78-66. The Bison got no closer than nine as HSU won the first contest of the decade, 84-73.