WEATHERFORD, Oklahoma –  The Henderson State women's basketball team dropped a game to the GAC-leading No. 17 Southwestern Oklahoma St. Bulldogs as SWOSU continued its winning ways in the Pioneer Cellular Event Center, 99-78.
 
Maci Mains scored a season-high 22 points and five assists off the bench while Ashley Farrar scored in double-digits for the 13th time this season with her 17-point performance. Lani Snowden stayed true to her elite 45.7 three-point percentage, connecting on four of her six triples on the afternoon as the fifth-year senior contributed 14 points.
 
Both teams were respectable from beyond-the-arc with each squad shooting north of 36%, but inside the perimeter is where the Bulldogs distanced themselves, shooting 50% (36-72) compared to HSU's 39.7% (27-68). Henderson was also out-rebounded 49-31 Saturday afternoon.  
 
A driving lay-up from Farrar gave HSU its only lead of the game as it would be one of those nights for the visiting Reddies. The Bulldogs responded with a 13-1 run, thanks to a red-hot 3-for-3 start on its first three triples of the game. The Reddies were able to stay within striking distance, heading into the first media timeout facing a nine-point deficit, 17-8.
 
The tide began to turn HSU's way ever so slightly with SWOSU missing on its next three treys as Henderson took advantage. The Reddies cut the lead to four on two different occasions with the quarter closing on a 23-19 ballgame.
 
The shift in the game took place after the second-quarter media. With the score in favor of Southwestern, 43-34, a three minute drought plagued HSU as a Snowden triple brought the Reddies tally to 37. Unfortunately for Jill Thomas and her squad, SWOSU built a 53-37 lead. A 6-0 run from HSU brought the margin down to 10 at half, 53-43.
 
The third quarter yielded only 11 points for the Reddies as Henderson scored two points in the opening five minutes and nineteen seconds of game time. The third-quarter media timeout showed SWOSU leading 64-45 and then 74-54 after three. Henderson shot 19% (4-21) in the third period while Southwestern shot 46.2% (6-13).
 
Continued hot shooting for the home team kept HSU from mounting any kind of comeback as SWOSU closed the deal with the 99-78 victory. Henderson State (9-4, 4-3) will return to the Duke Wells Center when Ouachita Baptist ventures over for the season's first Battle of the Ravine Thursday, Jan. 13 at 5:30 p.m.