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ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — After capturing the GAC Tournament Championship and then waiting 10 months to play again, Henderson State begins its GAC title defense on Thursday night when the Reddies open the 2021 season against Southern Arkansas at 7:30 p.m. inside the Duke Wells Center.
REDDIES REPORT
- The Reddies last played on Mar. 9, 2020 when they defeated Oklahoma Baptist 72-61 in the GAC Tournament Final in Bartlesville, Oklahoma for the program's first conference championship since 2003. HSU, along with three other GAC programs, was denied an opportunity to play in the NCAA DII Tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The 2021 season begins with a top-level matchup for both sides, as Southern Arkansas and Henderson State were picked first and second, respectively, in the GAC's preseason poll for the Eastern Division. SAU received 24 total votes and four first-place ballots, while HSU garnered 22 and two first-place nods. The league's Eastern Division this season also includes Arkansas-Monticello, Arkansas Tech, Harding and Ouachita Baptist.
- The Reddies will be leaning on some new faces this year after losing four starters and five of the top six players in their rotation off of their 2019-20 team. Henderson does return All-GAC forward Raekwon Rogers, as well as seniors Quawn Marshall, Jeremiah Toney and Xavier Davenport, but will look to heralded newcomers Malik Riddle, Damian Dear and Yuri Swinford for offensive production.
- Winning at the Duke Wells Center has been a tall task for opponents over the last two years. Henderson State is 24-4 at home since the start of the 2018-19 season and finished 13-1 on its home court last year.
- HSU has had a recent run of success against Southern Arkansas and has won each of the last four meetings dating back to February of 2019 by an average of just under 16 points. SAU, however, had won four-straight prior to the Reddies' streak.
SCOUTING SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
- Picked first in the 2021 preseason poll for the GAC Eastern Division, Southern Arkansas enters the new year looking to improve on a 13-16 (10-12) campaign last season, which saw the Muleriders bounced in the first round of the GAC Tournament.
- SAU returns its top three scorers in guard Aaron Lucas (14.5 points per game), forward Devante Brooks (14.1 points per game) and forward Jalen Brooks (13.3 points per game). Devante Brooks is a two-time All-GAC pick, which includes a First Team honor in 2018-19.
- The Muleriders averaged just 68.9 points per game as a team in 2019-20 and shot just 27.5% from the 3-point line, but were a dominant rebounding squad, averaging just under 39 rebounds per game and out-rebounding opponents by 5.1 boards per contest.
- Southern Arkansas was just 2-10 in true road games last season as opposed to 10-3 at home. SAU has not beaten the Reddies in Arkadelphia since Jan. 20, 2018.
