COVERAGE LINKS I
GAME NOTES
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The Henderson State women's basketball program hits the road one final time in 2023 when they travel to Searcy, Ark. to face (RV) Harding. Tip-off between the Reddies and Lady Bisons is set for 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 14 at the Rhodes-Reaves Field House.
REDDIES REPORT
Henderson State (6-3, 2-1) held off Arkansas Tech last time out, 84-80, improving to 2-1 in GAC play on the year. The Reddies had two players reach 20 points, led by
Ashley Farrar with a team-high 33 points, while
Tori Gittens recorded 21 points. The pair combined for ten of the team's 11 triples, both shooting 50.0 percent or better from deep.
Farrar scored six points in the final 31 seconds of the game while going three of four from the free-throw line to secure the win. The Green Forest, Ark. native leads the league in free-throw attempts with 62 trips to the charity stripe and is converting 77.4 percent. As a team, HSU has drawn the second most free shots this season, having made 196 appearances at the free-throw line, and is fifth in free-throw percentage, shooting 74.0 percent.
Natalie Cardenas picked up three more assists in the win over Arkansas Tech and now has 26 on the year, averaging 2.9 assists per game. The Mesquite, Texas native also saw a season-high nine rebounds last time out and is averaging 4.0 per game, while
Bobbi Bazzle paces the team with 5.9 rebounds per contest after recording eight against the Golden Suns.
The Reddies continue to have four players averaging double-digit points, as Farrar leads the way with 18.6 points per contest, followed by Gittens (13.2), Cardenas (11.9) and
Olivia Allen (10.7). HSU is third in scoring across the league as a team, putting up 78.0 points per game, but has struggled at times on defense, as opponents are averaging 75.6 points.
Henderson State will look to get back in the win column against Harding after the Lady Bisons swept the Reddies in the season series last year. After last season's results, Harding holds a slight edge over HSU in the head-to-head series 36-32 going into the 69
th meeting. Henderson has fared well in Searcy with two wins in their last three trips to the Rhoades-Reaves Field House.
SCOUTING HARDING
Harding picked up its third GAC win of the season in dramatic fashion, as Sage Hawley made a game-winning basket with seconds remaining to take down Arkansas-Monticello 66-65. Since opening the season with a 76-72 loss to Missouri Southern, the Lady Bisons have won seven straight contests to find themselves at 7-1 overall and 3-0 in conference play.
The Lady Bisons are led by the reigning GAC Player of the Year, Sage Hawley, who leads the league in rebounding with 11.1 boards per game and is second in scoring with 19.6 points per game. The senior forward is HU's most efficient shot taker, shooting 50.0 percent from the field on 132 attempts, while the team ranks third in the GAC in field goal percentage, converting 42.9 percent a clip.
Supporting Hawley on offense is freshman guard Josie Williams, who is averaging 11.3 points, and Rory Geer, who has 9.9 points. Geer is also the Lady Bisons second second-best rebounder with 8.4 boards per contest and has recorded a team-high 35 offensive rebounds. Hawley and Geer have combined to make Harding the best rebounding team in the conference, with 43.6 rebounds per game.
