COVERAGE LINKS I GAME NOTES
 
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Henderson State makes its final trek to the Sooner State this week, starting on Thursday when they head to the Kerr Activities Center in Ada, Okla. to face East Central on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
 
REDDIES REPORT
In its most recent defeat to Arkansas-Monticello, HSU (15-9, 11-7) struggled to get things going at the start of the second half. The Reddies were outscored 38-22 in the final twenty minutes of the game after being held to just six points in the third quarter. Following the loss, HSU remains in fourth place in the GAC standings and still holds a two-game advantage over Southwestern Oklahoma State in fifth place.
 
Olivia Allen led the scoring efforts for the red-and-grey against UAM, recording a team-high 13 points on 50.0 percent shooting and was perfect from the free-throw line, going 4-4. The sophomore guard has provided a spark off the bench this season, averaging 7.6 points per game and leading the team with 22 steals. Ashley Farrar also saw double-figure points versus the Blossoms with 11 points and still leads Henderson with 15.5 points per game.
 
The Reddies have dominated the opening twenty minutes of games, outscoring their opponents 855-to-779 in the first two periods, but have struggled in the second half of games, with teams outscoring the red-and-grey 863-814. In three of the four last defeats for HSU, the Reddies have held an average lead of 5.3 points at halftime but were unable to hold on or build on the margin in the second half.
 
Henderson got the better of East Central in the first meeting last month, defeating the Tigers 63-48 inside the Duke Wells Center. The Reddies' victory improved their win streak over ECU to five straight games, and they are now 7-3 in the last ten meetings. HSU's win early this season brings the series record to 13-14 in favor of ECU heading into the 28^th meeting on Thursday.
 
Farrar and JJ Eddens helped lead the Reddies past East Central in game one with 22 and 10 points, respectively. Farrar shot 50.0 percent for the game and was 9-of-10 at the foul line with seven rebounds. Henderson finished the game shooting 38.0 percent from the field and dominated the rebound battle 52-32, with Bobbi Bazzle and Makenna Winans combining for 17 rebounds.  
 
SCOUTING EAST CENTRAL
East Central (7-15, 3-15) went 0-2 last week in a pair of road games at Southeastern Oklahoma State and Southern Nazarene, as they fell to 3-15 on the year in conference games. The Tigers' three wins this season came in a series sweep of Arkansas-Monticello and a home win over Arkansas Tech. With four games remaining this season, East Central is in 12th place in the GAC standings and are one game behind UAM after the Blossoms latest win. 
 
Mackenzie Crusoe leads the scoring efforts for ECU after pacing the team last week with 32 points across the two contests. The senior guard is fifth in the conference in scoring with 15.8 points per game and has reached double-figure totals in 13 straight contests. Crusoe is also ECU's top rebounder this season, as she ranks seventh in the conference with 6.5 boards per game.  
 
The Tigers come into Thursday's contest averaging 55.9 points a game, which ranks 12^th in scoring offense in the GAC, and are fifth in scoring defense, giving up 60.0 points per contest. East Central likes to shoot from deep, as they average 21.7 three-point attempts and are making 6.8 triples per game on a 31.2 percent shooting mark. Jayden Weiberg leads the shooting efforts for ECU with 39 triples and is converting a team-high 37.9 percent from beyond the arc.