ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — Rel Johnson scored 12 of Henderson State's final 13 points on Thursday and the Reddies overcame a cold shooting night to defeat East Central 73-70 at the Duke Wells Center.

Henderson (13-4, 8-3) led 37-31 at the break over the Tigers despite shooting just 35.2% through the game's first 20 minutes. The struggles from the floor continued for the Reddies to begin the second half, as they missed six of their first seven shots and watched ECU reel off a 12-3 run to take a 43-40 advantage with 15:19 remaining.

A platoon substitution steadied things for HSU and after a 3-pointer from Xavier Davenport tied the game at 47-47, the Reddies got four points each from Mike Fofana and Chris Parker to surge to a 57-50 advantage — their largest of the night. Again the Tigers responded, however, as they put together a 9-2 run over the next four minutes to seize a 59-58 lead with just under six minutes to go in the game.

After a bucket from Fofana regained the lead for the Reddies, 60-59, Johnson took over for the HSU offense and cashed in a three-point-play, a jumper in the lane and a pull-up 3-pointer to provide Henderson a 68-64 cushion at the 2:29 mark.

East Central continued to scrap down the stretch and used six free throws over the next two minutes to trim the deficit to 71-70 with 38 seconds left in regulation. With the clock ticking down and Henderson nursing a one-point advantage, Johnson again came through, as he got a running, right-handed floater to fall off the glass with 11 seconds left to push the lead out to 73-70.

Needing a 3-pointer to keep hope alive, the Tigers got an open look for the GAC's second-leading scorer, Camron Talley, but the shot was long and the Reddies held on for a thrilling 73-70 victory to keep their perfect home record intact.

Johnson had 12 of his 14 points in the last five minutes of the win for HSU. Fofana led the way with 17 points and a career-high 17 rebounds, while both Parker and Raekwon Rogers chipped in 10.

As a team, Henderson shot its second-lowest percentage of the year (34.3%), but held ECU, who came into the contest leading the GAC in scoring, to 38.1% shooting on the other end of the floor. HSU knocked down just four 3-pointers on the night — its lowest amount in a win this season.

The Reddies return to action on Saturday when they host conference-leading Southeastern Oklahoma State at 3 p.m.