COVERAGE LINKS | GAME NOTES
 
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – A rematch of the 2020 Great American Conference Championship Game will take place Thursday, Jan. 5 from Shawnee, Oklahoma when Henderson State battles the Oklahoma Baptist Bison. Tip-off from the Noble Complex is set for 7:30 p.m.
 
REDDIES REPORT
Henderson opened 2023 with a bang, posting its largest margin of victory this season after defeating Lyon College, 82-50. In fact, 32 points is HSU's largest win since beating Texas College by 41, 129-88, back on Nov. 18, 2019. The victory over the Scots marked the second straight outing for the Reddies with 10-plus made three-pointers.
 
Josh Mason scored a season-high 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting to pace all scorers while Malik Riddle posted his second double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds. For the fourth time in five games, Henderson had at least four guys score in double figures, all of which HSU has won. In the one contest where the Reddies did not have at least four double-digit scorers during that five-game span, they fell to Arkansas Tech, 73-64.
 
After defeating Harding 87-66 in the final game of 2022, Monday was the first time HSU has scored 80 or more and won in back-to-back contests since Feb. 22, 2021. The Reddies are tied for ninth in the conference in scoring offense at 72.2 points per game and are fifth in scoring defense at 66.3 points. Henderson is one of just three GAC teams to average over 72 points while also holding teams below 67 points.
 
Jimmy Elgas-coached teams have come to be known for their defense, and this year is shaping up to be no different. Henderson is third in the league and 43rd in Division II with a 3.2 turnover margin. The Reddies are also third among the conference leaders with a 0.99 assist-to-turnover ratio. In addition, HSU is fourth in opponent field-goal percentage at 42.2 percent. On the flip side, Oklahoma Baptist is sixth in team field-goal percentage (47.1%).
 
After defeating OKBU in the 2020 Conference Championship, every matchup between the two clubs has been decided by single digits. Among Arkansas GAC schools, HSU (.576) has the second best winning percentage since that 2019-20 season while Oklahoma Baptist (.689) has the best winning percentage among the Oklahoma schools. In what will be the 20th all-time meeting Thursday, the Bison lead the overall series, 11-8.
 
SCOUTING OKLAHOMA BAPTIST
Oklahoma Baptist, like Henderson State, is 6-4 overall and 3-1 in conference play with both squads riding a two-game winning streak. The Bison have conference wins over Southwestern Oklahoma State, Northwestern Oklahoma State and East Central with their one loss coming at the hands of Southeastern Oklahoma State by five.
 
The loss to the Savage Storm is Oklahoma Baptist's only loss inside the Noble Complex this season. Since that infamous 2019-20 conference tournament finale in the eyes of Bison fans, head coach Jason Eaker has led his team to a 24-5 record on their home floor to date, including just two losses over the last two seasons. Before its loss to SE this season, OKBU had not lost a home conference game since Dec. 11, 2021.
 
The Bison have four guys on their squad averaging 10 or more points per game, with Alcorn State transfer Paul King leading the charge with 16.7 points. Oklahoma Baptist is led down low by Nigel Wilcox and D.J. Freeman, who are each shooting better than 66 percent while averaging 12 points per game. Overall, OKBU is seventh in the GAC at 73.9 points per game.