ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — The Reddies got one of their most impressive wins of the season last Saturday when they took down No. 16 ranked Southeastern Oklahoma State 77-72. HSU will look to take that momentum on the road as it treks to Southern Nazarene for a matchup with the Crimson Storm on Thursday, Jan. 30 at 5:30 p.m.
REDDIES REPORT
- Henderson State (13-5, 8-4) moved to a perfect 9-0 at home on the year with the win over Southeastern Oklahoma on Saturday. HSU got a big lift from Karrington Whaley, who finished with 16 points and was incredibly efficient from the floor, going 6-of-10 from the field in the game.
- Senior Hailey Estes posted her seventh double-double of the season with 15 points and 16 rebounds. Estes played all 40 minutes of the contest and continues to make her case for a spot on the All-GAC First Team as the league's only player averaging a double-double. Estes needs three points to pass Haleigh Henson for fifth on Henderson's all-time scoring list.
- Pink Jones returned from injury to give the Reddies' lineup a big boost. Jones filled up the box score with 14 points, five rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal. When the Savage Storm cut HSU's lead to one, 67-66, Jones scored seven-straight points to help give Henderson their fifth straight win over Southeastern. Jones needs one steal to become the fifth player in HSU history to collect 200 steals in a career. She also needs 11 assists to pass Julie Anderson for most assists in Henderson State history.
- Lexis Weber and Madi Nichols were once again instrumental in giving the Reddies a boost as they combined for 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting.
- A win on Thursday would be the 98th of Jill Thomas' tenure at Henderson State and would make her the third-winningest coach in Henderson State women's basketball history.
SCOUTING SOUTHERN NAZARENE
- Southern Nazarene, (11-5, 8-4) led by second year head coach Trent May, has solidified itself as a GAC contender and is on the way to posting a winning record in consecutive conference seasons for the first time since 2011-12 and 2012-13.
- Since May took over the Crimson Storm program, SNU's calling card has been their defense. The Crimson Storm led the GAC in scoring defense last season, giving up just 61.0 points per game. Just past the midway point of the 2019-20 season, SNU has held on to its crown as the league's stingiest defense, allowing opponents to manage just 60.6 points per contest.
- Offensively, the Crimson Storm are led by three extremely capable guards in Jaycee Soap, Sonia Sarda and Alexus Jones. Soap is one of the deadliest 3-point shooters in the league, and is 19-for-34 from downtown over her last six games. Sarda is the best distributor in the GAC, leading the league with 5.4 assists per game, while Jones is one of the more physical guards in the conference, leading SNU and ranking fifth in the GAC in rebounds at 7.9 per game.
- The combination of Abby Niehues and Myriam Garcia makes up one of the most efficient post duos in the conference. Combined, Niehus and Garcia are 87-of-154 from the field this year, good for 56.5%. Garcia has been especially effective as of late, pouring in a career-high 21 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in last Saturday's loss to Southern Arkansas.
