SEARCY, Ark. — Harding grabbed the lead early on Thursday night, and found a response for every Henderson State rally late, to defeat the Reddies 89-79 at the Rhodes-Reaves Fieldhouse.

The first half set the tone of the evening for Henderson (1-2), as the Reddies struggled to keep pace with Harding's shot-making. HSU trailed by as many as 16 points during the first period, but finished the half on a 12-5 run which cut the deficit to 45-36 at the break. The Bisons hit eight 3-pointers in the opening 20 minutes, while Henderson hit just one and shot 39% from the floor.

Despite the tough start, it looked as if Henderson had turned the tide to begin the second half, as back-to-back 3-pointers from Quawn Marshall and Graham Chenault brought the Reddies to within three points in the blink of an eye. Harding had an answer, however, and used a 14-4 run over the next five minutes to regain a 59-46 lead with 14:25 to go.

The next 10 minutes of play saw the Reddies battle to cut into the Harding lead, only to watch the Bisons bury a momentum-killing shot each time they made a run. On multiple occasions, Henderson trimmed the lead down to two possessions, but each time Harding had a counter in the form of a big basket to keep HSU at an arms length. 

The Reddies best and final chance came with four minutes remaining, when they found themselves with the ball, down just 75-71 after two Malik Riddle free throws and a Harding turnover. With an opportunity to make it a one-score game, HSU was instead plagued by a turnover. The mistake resulted in a Bisons 3-pointer on the other end which stole the Henderson momentum for a final time. The Reddies never got within five points again, as Harding was able to salt the game away late and win it, 89-79. 

Six different players finished in double figures for Henderson in defeat. Raekwon Rogers led the way with 16 points and 10 rebounds, Marshall added 14 points, Riddle finished with 13, Yuri Swinford had a career-best 11 off of the bench, and both Xavier Davenport and Jeremiah Toney chipped in 10. Harding shot a scorching 51.6% in the second half and finished with 17 assists to just six for the Reddies. HSU out-rebounded the Bisons 45-34 but could not find the stroke from deep and finished 5-of-23 from beyond the arc.

Henderson will look to bounce back on Saturday at home when it hosts Arkansas-Monticello at 4 p.m. in the Duke Wells Center.