ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — Leading by two points with 3:40 to go in a rivalry game dogfight, Henderson State closed the game on a 13-5 run to pull away and defeat Ouachita Baptist 82-72 on Thursday night at Bill Vining Arena. 

The Reddies (16-7, 11-6) got off to a good start in a hostile environment and opened up a 15-5 lead in the first eight minutes after OBU started 2-of-12 from the floor. Henderson led by double figures for the majority of the first half and held a 37-24 advantage at the 2:45 mark, but the Tigers closed the period on a 10-0 run to close the gap down to 37-34 at the break. HSU shot 51.9% from the floor in the first 20 minutes but was just 4-for-12 at the free throw line.

A 7-0 run to open the second half allowed the Reddies to retake a 10-point lead, 44-34, but OBU came roaring back once again and used a 19-12 spurt to close the deficit down to 56-53 with just under 11 minutes remaining. It was a slugfest in the final 10 minutes, as Henderson could not pull away and the Tigers could not eclipse the Reddies' lead. 

With 3:40 to play and up 69-67, HSU finally found the run that put the game away. Three free throws from Rel Johnson made it 72-67 and after a bucket from Ouachita trimmed it back down to three, Raekwon Rogers knocked down two more to restore a five-point lead, 74-69. 

Good defense from the Reddies forced a miss from the desperate Tigers on the next trip down and it was Rogers who cashed in on the other end once again, when he snagged an offensive rebound and threw down a dunk to put Henderson in front 76-69 with just 1:16 left. That deficit would prove to be too big for OBU to climb out of, as HSU knocked down four more free throws in the final minute and ended things in style with an emphatic dunk from Mike Fofana to close it out and sweep Ouachita for the second-straight season.

Rogers led the way with 15 points and 10 rebounds — all of which came in the second half. Four other Reddies finished in double figures as Henderson shot 49.2% from the floor and held OBU to 37.7% shooting. HSU out-rebounded Ouachita 43-36 in the win and out-scored the Tigers 38-24 in the paint.

Henderson returns to action on Saturday when it takes on Harding at 3 p.m. in the Duke Wells Center.