RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — Henderson State used two massive runs, one early and one late, to overcome a pesky Arkansas Tech team on Thursday evening and pick up a 61-53 road win over the Wonder Boys.
Malik Riddle led HSU with 16 points on just seven shots, while Jeremiah Toney added 15 and seven rebounds. Raekwon Rogers, who played a team-high 32 minutes, finished with 10 points and seven boards.
It was a dream beginning for the Reddies in Russellville. While the Henderson defense forced an 0-for-6 shooting start to the game for Arkansas Tech, HSU began 5-for-9 on the other end and capitalized on the early ATU struggles by racing out to a commanding 14-0 lead.
Just when it looked like a blowout could be in order, a dreaded cold spell flipped the script for HSU. After scoring 14 points in the first five minutes of the game, the Reddies managed just 14 in the remainder of the half. ATU took advantage and out-scored Henderson 26-14 over the next 15 minutes to trim the deficit to 28-26 at the break. HSU missed five-straight free throws during the cold stretch, while Tech knocked down six 3-pointers to get back into it.
A 10-4 spurt to open the second half continued the Wonder Boys' momentum and gave them a 36-32 lead at the 16:11 mark. The game remained tight over the next several minutes of play, as neither team could find the stroke from distance or separate from the other. The lead changed hands three times while the two sides combined to shoot 37% from the floor and 2-of-17 from beyond the arc to begin the period.
With Tech leading it 45-42, the Reddies put together their first run since the opening minutes. It was worth the wait, as Henderson took advantage of an ATU cold stretch this time and used nine quick points from Riddle to power a 14-1 burst and seize a 56-46 lead with 2:53 left. Arkansas Tech did not make a field goal for nearly seven minutes during the run and missed nine-straight shots from the floor.
The second big momentum swing of the night proved to be the knockout punch for the Reddies. Tech never again got within eight points and Henderson was able to hold on for its third win of the season over the Wonder Boys.
As a team, HSU shot 46.8 percent from the floor and held Arkansas Tech to just 32.3% shooting in the game. ATU was just 8-for-36 from 3-point range on the night and 2-of-18 in the second half. With the victory, the Reddies have now won three-straight over Tech and eight of the last nine meetings overall between the programs dating back to 2018.
Henderson will look to start a winning streak on Saturday when it hosts Southern Arkansas at 4 p.m. in the Duke Wells Center.
