ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — Henderson State overcame an 18-point first half deficit on Saturday and defeated Southern Arkansas for the second time this season, 77-68, at the Duke Wells Center.

Malik Riddle came alive in the second half for the Reddies in the win and scored all of his game-high 20 points in the final 20 minutes. Alvin Miles finished with 15 points and five assists for HSU, while Ryan Boyce added 11. All three players came off the bench for Henderson.

The Reddies (13-8, 8-6) dug themselves in a hole early in front of the home crowd. Southern Arkansas connected on eight of its first 11 shots and forced eight quick HSU turnovers to seize a commanding 26-8 lead at the 10:07 mark of the period.

The game was flipped in a dramatic way over the final 10 minutes of the first half. After falling behind by 18-points, Henderson found its stride and got back into it quickly with a massive 19-2 run. Miles scored 10 points during the run, which brought the Reddies within 28-27 with just under four minutes to play until halftime.

While HSU found its footing offensively, the Muleriders slipped on the other end of the floor. After starting 8-for-11, SAU went 3-for-21 over the final 10 minutes of the half and was left clinging to a 38-36 advantage at the break. 

Southern Arkansas seemingly regained control at the start of the second period, as the Muleriders used a 7-0 run to open up a 45-36 advantage at the 17:02 mark of the half. Henderson answered again, however, and scored the game's next 11 points to go screaming into the lead, 47-45, with 13:33 to go. Five different players scored for the Reddies during the 11-0 stretch.

The game remained tight over the next several minutes as the score wound up tied at both 50-50 and 55-55. With the game knotted up and 8:51 remaining, Riddle took over for HSU and scored eight-straight points to put the Reddies up 63-56. After a 3-pointer from SAU trimmed the lead down to four, Henderson got five-consecutive free throws from Miles and Riddle to extend its advantage again, this time out to 68-59, with four minutes left.

The 13-4 run put the Reddies in control, but SAU refused to go away and made one final charge down the stretch, eventually closing the gap to 70-68 with 1:10 on the clock. Needing one last run, Henderson got it, and closed the game on a 7-0 spurt to ice the game and pull away for a big win.

HSU shot 45% on Saturday and held Southern Arkansas to 38% shooting on the other end. The Reddies' bench out-scored the Muleriders 50-15.

Henderson returns to action on Monday when it goes across the street to face rival Ouachita Baptist at 7:30 p.m.