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ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Women's basketball returns to the Natural State to tip off its home slate of games for the 2023-24 season, beginning with Northeastern State on Monday, Nov. 20 at 5:30 p.m. in the Duke Wells Center.
 
REDDIES REPORT
Henderson State (2-1) got its second win of the season last time out in a dramatic double-overtime win against Delta State. The Lady Statesmen refused to give up, scoring the tying basket as time expired in regulation, and scored a second tying shot at the buzzer in the first overtime period to force an additional five minutes. HSU would not be denied in the second overtime, finishing the quarter on an 8-0 run to secure a 106-98 win.
 
Through three games, a trio of Reddies are averaging over 15 points a game, led by Ashley Farrar, who is seeing a team-high 20 points per contest, followed by Tori Gittens with 19.3 points per game, while shooting 68.8 percent from both the field and the three-point line. Freshman Natalie Cardenas is scoring 17 points an outing and leads the team in trips to the free-throw line with 28, and has converted 21 of her chances.
 
At the glass, Gittens and Makenna Winans pace the team in rebounding, with 18 rebounds each. Gittens and Winanas combined for ten against the Lady Statesman, while Jadah Pickens, in her return to action after missing most of last year due to injury, led the team with seven. In the first three games of the season, the Reddies have 112 rebounds as a team and are averaging 37.3 a game.
 
Monday's contest will be the third meeting between Henderson State and Northeastern State and the first game since 1996. The series is split 1-1, with the Riverhawks owning the most recent win in a 76-49 contest during the 1996-97 season. Tomorrow's game is the first time HSU and NSU will meet on the court of the Duke Wells Center.  
 
SCOUTING NORTHEASTERN STATE
Northeastern State is riding a three-game winning streak, which has them 3-1 to start the season. After opening the year with a loss to Northwestern Oklahoma State, NSU has since defeated Mary, Haskell and Arkansas-Fort Smith. The Riverhawks have reached 70 points in all three wins, including a 74-57 win over UAFS in their most recent game. 
 
Halie Jones leads the NSU offense with 14.0 points per game, having seen ten points in all four games this season. The Riverhawks have one other player averaging double-digit points in Tor'e Alford, who is scoring 10.8 points per game. In addition, Alford is also one of three players with a team-high 17 rebounds, joining forwards Courtney Lee and Jaylee Kindred.