DURANT, Okla. – Henderson State hung tight early on, but the three-point shooting of the Savage Storm was too much as Southeastern Oklahoma State defeated HSU inside Bloomer Sullivan Arena Saturday afternoon, 99-73.
 
Southeastern made a staggering 18-of-37 from deep for a 48.6 shooting percentage while HSU totaled just two treys. Overall, SE shot 53.0 percent (35-66) from the field compared to 40.0 percent (28-70) for the Reddies. The three-point shooting discrepancy showed Henderson outscoring SE in the paint, 50-22.
 
Tomislav Miholjcic was a big recipient of the paint dominance, scoring 16 points with six rebounds. Franck Kamgain scored his most points in two weeks, leading all Reddies with 17 on 6-of-9 shooting. Henderson had four guys score in double figures as Malik Riddle and Zyon Patterson each reached the double-figure plateau.
 
Henderson came out playing tough, trading baskets with the league's top scoring team. The Reddies led 8-5 at the 15:47 mark before Southeastern started hitting from deep. Over the next two minutes, the Savage Storm rattled home four consecutive three-pointers for a 12-0 run to quickly turn the tables, 17-8.
 
Back-to-back field-goals mixed with a 2-for-2 trip to the line for SE kept Henderson in it before Che Smith recorded just his third made triple of the season to cut the deficit to four, 19-15. A Miholjcic lay-up off a Southeastern turnover moments later brought it to a one-possession game.
 
Play got as close as one point on separate occasions following that, but timely threes from the conference's top three-point shooting squad kept the margin four to six over the next three minutes. At 30-26 with seven minutes remaining halftime, HSU went on a four-minute scoring drought, allowing SE to open a 36-26 lead.
 
Free-throws and a triple from Riddle continued to keep the game within the reach before a behind-the-arc shot in the waning seconds sent both teams into the locker room with the Savage Storm sporting a 45-37 advantage.
 
Henderson got within six a minute and a half into second-half action, but timely three-pointers upheld the near-double-digit lead for the Savage Storm. Henderson kept competing, using an 8-3 run from Kamgain to turn a 59-45 deficit into a 62-52 contest. Once again, however, a three-point dagger killed any momentum HSU was trying to garner.
 
The Savage Storm pulled away late with a barrage of triples as Henderson St. fell to 5-8 in the conference and 8-11 overall after the 99-73 loss. The Reddies will return the Duke Wells Center Thursday, Feb. 2 when Southern Nazarene comes to Arkadelphia for a 7:30 p.m. tip.