ARKADELPHIA, Ark. - The reigning Great American Conference Champion Henderson State women's basketball team will begin its 2024-25 season this weekend at the GAC/MIAA Challenge in Warrensburg, Missouri.
The Reddies open tournament with host Central Missouri on Friday before taking on Missouri Southern State on Saturday.
HSU returns six members from its 2024 GAC Championship squad, including Jadah Pickens, Brynlee Huggins, Natalie Cardenas, Bobbi Bazzle, Makenna Winans, and Sam Basson.
Pickens returns after recording 8.7 points per game last season. Her .423 field goal percentage was tied for the second-highest on the team amongst players with at least 200 shots attempted on the season, and she was also second on the team in assists (55). The Conway, Arkansas, native posted a season-high 35 points in the Reddies' GAC semifinal victory over Southern Nazarene.
Huggins enters the season as an established outside threat. She made 52 three pointers in Henderson's 2023-24 campaign, putting her in third on the team leaderboard.
In just 14 games played a year ago, Cardenas averaged 11.9 points per contest.
Bazzle looks to be a formidable matchup at the forward position. Last season, she collected 168 rebounds - the second most of any Reddie - while shooting an efficient .521 from the field. During the span, she rebounded the ball at least 10 times in a game on five separate occasions.
Joining Bazzle in the front court is Winans, who paced the team with 194 boards in 2023-24. A .486 field goal percentage also proved her to be a viable scoring option inside. Winans had double-digit rebounds in four different games, including a double-double versus Southeastern Oklahoma State on January 18 (13 points, 15 rebounds).
Sam Basson looks to build on her strong performances beyond the arc (.416 three-point percentage) and at the charity stripe (.909 free-throw percentage) from a season ago.
Joining this returning core will be freshmen Ahmmiyah Coffey, Riley Samples, Marlee Raby, and Keeley Chadwick. Transfers Michaela Mayfield, Tristin Keller, and Klowie Pike bring their own veteran experience to the table.
Head coach Jill Thomas is set to begin her 12th season at the helm of HSU's program after a signing an extension through 2027 earlier this year. She will once again team up with associate coach Christina Harvey and assistant coach Cole Cocroft. Tori Gittens, who played for the Reddie squad that won a GAC crown earlier this year, joins the coaching staff as a graduate student.
The Central Missouri Jennies enter Friday's matchup with a 1-1 record thus far in 2024-25. Competing in the D2CCA Tip-Off Classic last weekend, they found themselves on the wrong end of 68-65 result versus No. 22 Southern Nazarene before rebounding with 66-58 victory over No. 15 Ferris State. UCM went 21-8 a season ago, seeing its 2023-24 campaign end with a two-point loss to Fort Hays State in the opening round of the MIAA Basketball Championship.
Missouri Southern State will look to right the ship after an 0-2 start at the D2CCA Tip-Off Classic. The Lions narrowly fell to Texas Woman's University in a 72-67 contest before being handed a 74-44 loss by Ashland.
Tipoff between the Reddies and the Jennies is slated for 11:30 a.m. on Friday morning. Henderson State will then face Missouri Southern State at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. For access to live stats and coverage of both games, visit hsusports.com/coverage.
