COVERAGE LINKS I GAME NOTES
 
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The Henderson State women's basketball program begins a four-game road stretch this weekend, starting with a trip on Saturday to the Steelman Fieldhouse to face Arkansas-Monticello at 1 p.m.
 
REDDIES REPORT
Along with picking up its second win of the season over Ouachita Baptist in dramatic fashion, Henderson State's win saw them clinch a spot in the GAC Tournament. The Reddies took down the Tigers behind a jumper from Brynlee Huggins with five seconds left in the game to push past OUA 78-76 and improve to 15-8 overall.
 
HSU joins No. 10 Southern Nazarene, No. 6 Harding and Northwestern Oklahoma State as the four teams to claim a spot in the 2024 GAC Tournament so far. SNU and HU remain tied at the top of the standings at 16-1, while NWOSU locks down third place at 13-4. The Reddies are two games back from Northwestern at 11-6 and hold a two-game advantage over Southwestern Oklahoma State (9-8) in fifth place.
 
Tori Gittens had a perfect night at the three-point line, going 4-for-4, and would finish tied with Jadah Pickens for a team-high 16 points. Gittens has been one of the best shooters from deep in the nation this season, as she leads D-II in three-point field goal percentage, converting 51.6 percent from beyond the arc. The Charleston Southern transfer is second in scoring for the red-and-grey with 11.1 points per game.
 
The Reddies are sixth in field goal efficiency this season, shooting 39.9 percent from the field as a team. When HSU has shot 40.0 percent for a game, they have gone on to win all 11 games, while when held under its season mark, they are just 4-8. In addition, Henderson is third in three-point percentage, shooting 34.8 percent, and leads the GAC in three-pointers per game with 8.4.
 
Henderson dominated the first meeting against Arkansas-Monticello with a 97-68 victory at the Duke Wells Center, which saw all 13 players record a point. The Reddies' win was their sixth straight victory over the Cotton Blossoms, and they are 7-3 in the last ten contests. HSU does trail UAM in the all-time head-to-head series 43-57 going into the 101^st meeting.
 
SCOUTING ARKANSAS-MONTICELLO
Arkansas-Monticello (7-16, 3-14) is tied with East Central in last place in the GAC standings after falling to rivals Southern Arkansas most recently. UAM has lost five of its previous six games, with its last win coming at home against Southeastern Oklahoma State 62-58 on Feb. 8.
 
UAM is not a high-scoring team, having reached 60 or more points just once in the last five games. The Blossoms rank eighth in scoring offense with 61.3 points per game and are led by Bailey Harris, who is averaging 14.3 points. Harris paced the team in scoring against SAU, recording 19 points on a 61.5 percent shooting mark, and is converting 42.1 percent of her shots this season.
 
Rebounding has been a struggle for Arkansas-Monticello this season, as they have a -3.3 rebound margin. The Blossoms are averaging 34.5 boards per game compared to their opponents, who are grabbing 37.8 rebounds. Alyssia Thorne leads UAM at the glass with 6.0 rebounds per game, with Harris close behind with 5.9. Thorne paced the team in rebounding at Southern Arkansas, grabbing seven boards, including two offensive rebounds.