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ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Henderson State looks to get back on track after dropping a heartbreaker to Northwestern Oklahoma St. Thursday. Next up is Southwestern Oklahoma St., who comes to Arkadelphia Saturday, Jan. 14. Tip-off from inside the Duke Wells Center is set for 3 p.m.
 
REDDIES REPORT
Franck Kamgain tied his season-high of 20 points against the Rangers while a hobbled Reddie squad fell in the waning seconds, 66-65. Kamgain has now scored in double digits in 11 consecutive games and is 11th in the GAC with 14.2 points per game. Tomislav Miholjcic is second on the team in scoring with 10.5 points.
 
Due to some of the HSU players battling illness, newcomer Zyon Patterson saw his second start of the season, playing 31 minutes while racking up 10 points, six rebounds and three steals. In his first start this season against Lyon College, Patterson totaled four steals. Averaging 19.5 minutes per game, the Crossett, Arkansas native is recording 1.3 steals per contest, which is 22nd in the league.
 
Henderson is currently tied for fifth in the conference standings with Southeastern Oklahoma St. and one game ahead of Ouachita Baptist. The Reddies will play both of those teams on the road this month, while Saturday's opponent, the Bulldogs of Southwestern, sit two games back of HSU at 2-5 in league play.
 
Henderson was riding an 11-game winning streak over SWOSU before the Bulldogs came to Arkadelphia last season and defeated HSU inside the Duke Wells Center for the first time since 2015, 71-60. The Reddies lead the overall series versus Southwestern 14-7, with this weekend's contest being the 22nd all-time meeting.
 
SCOUTING SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA ST.
Since the Bulldogs' Cinderella run as the seven seed in last season's GAC Tournament that finished with them hoisting the conference trophy, they have lost eight of their last 14 games by an average of 13.9 points per game. Their last two losses, however, have come by a combined six points, including falling to Ouachita Baptist by one point Thursday.
 
The Bulldogs lay claim to one of the most up-tempo teams in the conference, averaging a league-high 64.2 field-goal attempts per game. That style of play has them averaging 75.2 points per outing – fourth most in the league – while also being last in the GAC in field-goal percentage (40.6). Defensively, SWOSU is allowing the 11th most points per game in the GAC at 76.0 points.
 
Southwestern's two biggest threats to score the basketball are junior forward Ben Smith and senior guard Kamden Gipson, who are averaging 13.8 and 13.5 points per game, respectively. Gipson has scored exactly 16 points in three straight games while Smith has scored in double figures in 11 of 13 contests this season.