SHAWNEE, Okla. — Chris Parker hit a 3-pointer with five seconds left to give Henderson State a one-point lead on Saturday, but Oklahoma Baptist's Rashad Lewis splashed a fade away jumper on the opposite baseline as the buzzer sounded to win it for the Bison 78-77 at the Noble Complex.
Henderson (14-6, 9-5) trailed 37-32 at the half on the road after OKBU hit eight 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes. The Bison continued to make shots to begin the second period, as they hit five of their first seven looks and opened up a 50-41 lead at the under-16 minute timeout.Â
The deficit ballooned to double figures on two different occasions for Henderson, but with the Reddies down 62-52 and 9:53 remaining, they began to claw their way back, as two 3-pointers from Parker highlighted a big 20-7 run which helped HSU seize a 72-69 lead with just over three minutes to play.
After watching its lead slip away, Oklahoma Baptist responded and scored the next six points to regain a 75-72 advantage with 28 seconds left in the game. Parker answered on the other end for the Reddies and ended a nearly three-minute long scoring drought with a running jumper that closed the gap to 75-74.
With 14 seconds remaining and trailing by a point, Henderson fouled OKBU's Lewis, who hit one of two free throws to increase the lead to 76-74. Needing a bucket to stay alive, the Reddies got more than that from Parker, who rose up to knock down a long 3-pointer with five seconds to go which vaulted HSU into the lead, 77-76.
In a frantic scene, the Bison's Lewis took the inbounds pass and went the full length of the court quickly before putting up a fading jump shot on the left baseline as the buzzer sounded. Lewis' last-second prayer barely touched the net on its way through the hoop, giving Oklahoma Baptist a dramatic victory and handing the Reddies a heart-breaking defeat on the road.
Parker led four Henderson players in double figures with 22 points, while Raekwon Rogers finished with 14 and 12 rebounds for his second-straight double-double.
HSU will look to get back on track on Thursday, Feb. 6 when it travels to Magnolia to face Southern Arkansas at 7:30 p.m.