ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Red-hot shooting by Henderson State leads to a 21-point rout of Southern Arkansas, as the Reddies extend their win streak to four with an 81-60 victory over SAU.
 
HSU (12-6, 8-4) started the game just 2-of-9, but the team soon found its footing and would finish shooting 58.0 percent (29-50) from the field and were perfect from the free-throw line, going 15-of-15. Jadah Pickens led all scorers with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, while Olivia Allen (14), Brynlee Huggins (13) and Ashley Farrar (11) also recorded double-digit points.
 
Little separated Henderson and Southern Arkansas in the first five minutes of the opening quarter, as the two sides were tied 7-7 at the first media timeout. Out of the break, SAU knocked down a triple, but the next minute and a half belonged to the Reddies, with Tori Gittens, Sam Basson and Huggins each making baskets to push HSU in front 13-10. Henderson was held scoreless for the final two minutes of the stanza after Allen drained a three-pointer at 2:09 but would lead 16-14 at the buzzer.
 
Pickens had the hot hand to start the second period, scoring nine points in the first four minutes and fourteen seconds, including seven straight points to stretch the Reddies' advantage to 27-16. HSU kept the pace up through Basson and Huggins, who knocked down back-to-back triples to make it a 15-point game. Henderson never let up as they closed out the half on a 7-0 run capped off by a three-pointer by Pickens to lead 40-23 at halftime.
 
Henderson extended its edge to 21 points to begin the third quarter after back-to-back baskets from Farrar and Pickens. The Reddies continued to control the game through Huggins and Allen, who provided the HSU with its next seven points to grow the lead to 51-29 and 57-33 after making back-to-back three-pointers. SAU trimmed the Reddies' lead to 20 after outscoring HSU 6-2 in the final minute, with Henderson leading 59-39.
 
HSU took its largest lead of the game on a 6-2 run to open the fourth quarter, 65-41. An 8-0 spurt by the Muleriders cut the Reddies' lead to 16 before Gittens ended SAU's run with two free-throws. Henderson and Southern Arkansas traded trips to the charity stripe, and the red-and-gray would soon grow their advantage back to 20 points with a layup from Basson. Alee McClendon and Eryka Patton joined in on the scoring in the final minute to cap off an 81-60 victory.
 
Henderson State (12-6, 8-4) will hit the road for its next two games, beginning with Oklahoma Baptist on Thursday, Feb. 1 at 5:30 p.m. in Shawnee.