EMPORIA, Kan. – Henderson State falls to Missouri Southern 85-68 on the final day of the GAC/MIAA Conference Challenge. HSU (1-1) remains on the road for its next contest, traveling to Cleveland, Miss. to face Delta State.
Tori Gittens paced the team with 19 points on 53.8 shooting from the field and was 5-7 from the three-point line with three rebounds.
Ashley Farrar joined Gittens in back-to-back double-digit point games with 15 on a 4-5 day from the floor and was 6-6 from the free-throw line. Sophomore duo
Brynlee Huggins and
Olivia Allen combined for 16 points and five rebounds.
The Lions opened the scoring with two baskets in quick secession before Farrar tied the game up on the driving layup, 4-4. MSSU reestablished its lead with on a 9-4 run to take a 13-8 lead at the first break at 4:54. Out of the timeout, Gittens made two three-pointers to give HSU its first lead of the period, 18-17. Farrar connected from the free-throw line to keep the Reddies in front 20-19 at the end of the opening quarter.
The Reddies stretched their lead at the start of the second stanza with a triple by Farrar and a jumper from Gittens, 27-23. HSU kept a four-point lead over MSSU through another three-pointer by
Brynlee Huggins, but the Lions would regroup with three triples in less than two minutes to grab a 37-31 edge. Henderson State ended the last three minutes of the period on a 6-2 run to trail 41-39 at halftime.
Missouri Southern began the second half hot with nine points to extend its lead to 50-41 and, then, 57-48.
Eryka Patton scored four straight points as the Reddies were behind 66-57 at the end of the third period. Henderson State struggled to get the offense going in the final period as they were held to 11 points as the Lions went on an 8-0 run to end the fourth quarter.
