ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Henderson State holds off a late Pioneer rally in the fourth period to knock off No. 9 Texas Woman's 71-69 at the Duke Wells Center on Saturday. The Reddies win over TWU sees the team improve to 4-2 on the year in the final non-conference game of the season.
HSU had five players reach double-digit points, led by
Ashley Farrar, who had 17 points and was a perfect 10-10 from the free-throw line.
Brynlee Huggins did not miss from deep, finishing 3-of-3 from beyond the arc with 14 points, while
JJ Eddens and
Tori Gittens each saw 12 points. Additionally, Eddens also led the team with 11 rebounds for a double-double.
Henderson put the No. 9 team in the nation under pressure early in the first period, taking a 10-0 lead after Farrar and Eddens each knocked down a three-pointer. HSU held the Pioneers scoreless for the first three minutes and forty-seven seconds before TWU converted one of its two free throws. Eddens sank her second triple of the quarter, and Cardenas would see her first basket of the contest, scoring from deep to keep the Reddies in front 18-10. HSU closed out the final one and a half minutes on a 5-0 run capped off by a three-pointer from Gittens to carry a 23-10 lead at the break.
Points were a premium to start the second stanza as the period opened with two scoreless minutes before the two sides traded jump shots. The Reddies fell into another scoring drought as the Pioneers cut Henderson's advantage to under double-digits, but two triples drained by Gittens stretched the Reddies edge back out to 11, 34-23. Henderson led 34-27 at the break as Gittens paced the side in the first 20 minutes with ten points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field.
The Reddies opened the second half on a 7-0 run, with Cardenas knocking down her second triple of the game to extend the lead to 41-27. Texas Woman's replied, rattling off nine straight points over two and half minutes to cut down HSU's lead to 44-42. Huggins connected from deep to make it a two-possession game again, and
Alee McClendon added to the lead at the final whistle of the quarter on a layup to put HSU ahead 51-44.
A back-and-forth final quarter started off with a 6-0 run by TWU, who eventually tied the game at 53-53 on a triple. Huggins converted a four-point play to put HSU back on top and would later sink a triple and layup to extend the Reddies' edge to 55-64. Another 8-0 burst by the Pioneers kept them within striking distance 64-63.
Farrar was successful on two trips to the free-throw line to keep the slim advantage, but a late layup by TWU tied the game at 69 all with nine seconds left in the contest. A last-second foul by Texas Woman's sent Farrar back to the foul line, and she would make both shots to see off the late TWU rally and seal a 72-69 win.
HSU (4-2) opens GAC play next time out, as the Reddies go to Southern Arkansas to face the Muleriders on Thursday, Nov. 30 at 5:30 p.m.
