CLEVELAND, Miss. – Henderson State women's basketball battles through two overtimes to defeat Delta State 106-98 in the Walter Sillers Coleisum. This is the Reddies' first double-overtime win since the 2013-14 season when they bested Southwestern Oklahoma State 101-97.
 
Three different Reddies' reached 20 points in the win, led by Natalie Cardenas, who scored a team-high 23 points. Olivia Allen saw a career-high 22 points while shooting 60.0 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from beyond the arc. Tori Gittens went 4-7 from the three-point line for 21 points and had six rebounds.
 
Rounding out the scoring, Ashley Farrar recorded 19 points, and Brynlee Huggins had 10. HSU finished the game shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from the three-point line and had 42 rebounds.
 
Henderson State led 7-6 through the opening three minutes after Gittens sank a jumper and Farrar connected on a three-pointer. Moments later, Delta State grabbed the advantage on a 6-1 run and would lead 13-10 with four minutes remaining in the period. Allen took control, scoring six straight points in less than a minute, and added to the lead on a jumper with seven seconds left to give HSU a 22-13 lead at the end of the period.
 
Three-pointers by Gittens and Huggins to start the second quarter grew the Reddies' lead to 33-18 with seven minutes and fifty-two seconds remaining. JJ Eddens made her first layup before Gittens connected from deep for the second time in the quarter to put Henderson State ahead 45-34 at halftime.
 
Delta State cut down the HSU lead to seven at the start of the third period with two quick baskets. The Reddies picked up the pace again on a 10-0 tear, sparked by a three-pointer by Makenna Winans to retake a double-digit lead 57-42. Cardenas converted two shots from the free-throw line and later a layup to extend HSU's edge to 68-52 after three quarters. 
 
Farrar opened the scoring with a layup before Allen made a three-pointer to extend the Reddies' edge to 73-52. Delta State battled back in the final six minutes with a 20-1 run to cut HSU's lead to two, 78-76. Cardenas made back-to-back baskets to put the Reddies on top 82-76 with twenty-four seconds remaining. However, a 6-0 run by the Lady Statesmen in the dying moments of the period tied the game 82-82 at the buzzer.
 
Three-pointers by Cardenas and Huggins opened the overtime period with Henderson State ahead 90-88. Allen connected on a layup to extend the lead to three with thirty-one seconds left, but Delta State again would score in the final seconds on a three-pointer to send the game to a second overtime, 92-92.
 
HSU began the second overtime period with a four-point advantage after a three-pointer by Allen. DSU tied the game on a 4-0 run but would not see another point for the final two minutes and thirty-two seconds of the period as Henderson State closed out the quarter on an 8-0 run secure the win.

Henderson State (2-1) returns to the Duke Wells Center for its home opener on Monday, Nov. 20 at 5:30 p.m. when the Reddies host Northeastern State.