ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Henderson State picks up its second win of the week with a 63-48 win over the Tigers of East Central inside the Duke Wells Center on Saturday.
Two Reddies reached double-digit points, led by
Ashley Farrar with 22 points on 50.0 percent shooting from the field, followed by
JJ Eddens with 10 points and a team-high three assists.
Tori Gittens finished 3-of-3 from deep with nine points, and
Olivia Allen and
Sam Basson combined for 13 points.
HSU (10-6, 6-4) shot 38.0 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from the three-point line with 52 rebounds.
Makenna Winans led the team at the glass, grabbing nine rebounds, while
Bobbi Bazzle and Farrar combined for 15.
Gittens knocked down a three-pointer to open the scoring, but East Central would soon take the lead 4-3 with back-to-back baskets off Reddies' turnovers. Eddens pushed HSU in front just ahead of the first media break 7-6 with a jumper assisted by Allen. Following the timeout, Henderson stretched its advantage to 14-6 on a 7-0 run capped off by a Gittens three-pointer that forced ECU to use a timeout with 2:41 remaining. The Reddies allowed just one basket in the final five minutes of the quarter as they led 16-8 at the end of ten minutes.
Henderson grew its edge to double-digits in the opening three minutes of the second quarter after Farrar drained her first three-pointer of the contest. East Central replied with a triple just seconds later and would trim HSU's lead to five from a three-point play. A 5-0 burst by the Reddies featuring a three-pointer from Allen stretched the lead back to 10, and Basson would later give HSU its largest lead of the half with a triple, 30-12. East Central scored four points in the final minute and a half to cut Henderson's advantage to 30-22 at halftime.
Two turnovers by HSU at the start of the third period saw ECU cut the Reddy's edge to five. East Central stayed on the front after a Gittens made it an eight-point game with a 6-0 burst to get within two of HSU, 35-33. Henderson replied with a flurry of baskets, going on a 10-0 run to grow its advantage to 45-33. The Tigers chipped away at the lead just before the buzzer, as HSU led 46-38 at the end of the quarter.
The Reddies continued to add to their lead through the first three minutes with six straight points from Farrar to give HSU a 13-point edge. East Central made it a three-possession game with a three-pointer and later a 5-0 run to trim Henderson's lead to 56-48. Up ten, the Reddies closed out the final minute of the game at the free-throw line to seal a 63-48 victory.
Henderson State (10-6, 6-4) resumes action on the road against Ouachita Baptist on Thursday, Jan. 25 at 5:30 p.m. for the first installment of the Battle of the Ravine.
