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ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – After a three-day trip out west in Las Vegas, Nevada, to close out 2023, Henderson State opens the new year in Arkadelphia when the Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm come to the Duke Wells Center for a 7:30 p.m. tip Thursday, Jan. 4.
 
REDDIES REPORT (3-6, 2-2 GAC)
In the first of two games of the High Desert Classic, Henderson forced overtime with then-No. 7 Central Oklahoma before falling after the extra time, 86-72. The Reddies were then bested by Pittsburg State a day later, 97-87. In both games, HSU held a five-point lead at the break, but were out-rebounded in both matchups. Against the Bronchos, the red-and-gray managed just four second-chance points compared to UCO's 20. The Gorillas held the 17-12 advantage in second-chance scoring in the latter contest.
 
Malek Davis paced the Reddies across the two games, averaging 19 points on 44.4 percent shooting and 6.5 assists for the duration of the Classic, including scoring a season-high 27 points against Pittsburg State. Davis has now scored in double figures in four consecutive games and has eclipsed 10 points in seven of HSU's last eight games after being held scoreless in the season opener.
 
Zyon Patterson and Davis lead the scoring effort with 13.4 and 13.2 points per game, respectively, along with Clarence King (12.6) and Tomislav Miholjcic (11.4). The Reddies are one of four teams in the conference to have four players averaging 11 or more points per game. As a team, HSU is third in the GAC with 77.7 points per game. Henderson's pair of games in Las Vegas were the first times all season the red-and-gray lost despite scoring 70 points.
 
Southern Nazarene, who is leading the league this season in field-goal percentage (50.0%), comes to town riding a five-game winning streak against Henderson State, who leads the league in opponent field-goal percentage (42.0%). The Reddies have not defeated the Crimson Storm at home since the 2019-20 season and are 2-5 against SNU inside the Duke Wells Center under head coach Jimmy Elgas. Each of the last two matchups in Arkadelphia have been decided by six points or fewer.
 
SCOUTING SOUTHERN NAZARENE (4-5, 1-3 GAC)
Following an historic season that saw Southern Nazarene reach the NCAA Central Region Finals following a 27-5 campaign, including a 21-1 record in GAC play, SNU comes into the 2023-24 season with a new head coach and a slew of new players. The new-look Crimson Storm are off to an uncharacteristic slow start, sitting at 1-3 in league play after four games for just the third time in the GAC era.
 
Thursday's matchup will feature the two best teams in the GAC when it comes to defending the three-point line as HSU is holding teams to 28.1 percent from beyond the arc while SNU is limiting opponents to 30.4 percent. Neither team shoots many threes, however, with the two programs having the fewest three-point attempts in the conference this season. In a game that could be decided inside the perimeter and at the free-throw line, the Reddies are sixth in the league at 70.2 percent from the charity stripe while the Crimson Storm are 12th at 65.8 percent.
 
Newcomer Cam Slaymaker leads the offense with 15.1 points per game and is shooting 82.4 percent from the free-throw line, both of which rank ninth in the league. Slaymaker is averaging 5.7 free-throw attempts per game, which is the fourth most in the conference. Fellow newcomer Benno Zecic is second on the team with 12.6 points per game while leading the GAC with 6.2 assists per game.