COVERAGE LINKS I GAME NOTES

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The two highest scoring offenses in the GAC will go head-to-head on Thursday, when Henderson State welcomes No. 18 Northwestern Oklahoma State to the Duke Wells Center. Tipoff between the Reddies and Lady Rangers is set for 5:30 p.m.

REDDIES REPORT
Henderson State had its five-game win streak snapped on Saturday, as the Reddies fell to No. 5 Southern Nazarene late in the fourth period. The final ten minutes saw five ties, but the Crimson Storm would go 5-of-6 at the foul line down the stretch to close out the contest 67-62. HSU (13-7, 9-5) is now tied for fourth place in the league standings with Southwestern Oklahoma State and is two games behind NWOSU in third place.

Brynlee Huggins paced the scoring for the red-and-grey against SNU, recording a career-high 19 points on 5-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc. The sophomore guard has three ten-point games in her last four outings and ranks fifth on the team in scoring with 7.3 points per game. Jadah Pickens continues to be a spark for HSU with a fourth-straight double-digit point game last time out, scoring 15 against SNU. As a unity, Henderson ranks second in scoring offense in the GAC, averaging 73.1 points per game on a 39.7 percent shooting mark. 

Head coach Jill Thomas, in her 11th season with Henderson State, is four victories away from tying for the most wins in program history held by Hall of Honor inductee Jane Sevier (164). Coach Thomas has compiled a 160-132 record through 11 seasons with the Reddies and has made the GAC Tournament eight times, including three semifinal appearances.

Northwestern Oklahoma State got the better of Henderson State in the first meeting in Alva 64-55. This has been a series that favors the home side, as the host team is undefeated in the last six meetings. HSU is 9-1 all-time at the Duke Wells Center against NWOSU while just 3-8 as the road team. The Reddies hold a three-game advantage over the Lady Rangers in the tie, 12-9, and are 6-4 in the last ten contests.

Ashley Farrar led the offensive efforts for the red-and-grey with a team-high 22 points on 50.0 percent shooting the first time around. Tori Gittens followed with ten points, while Makenna Winans and Bobbi Bazzle combined for 12 rebounds. Henderson shot 29.3 percent from the field across the game and was held to 29.6 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

SCOUTING NO. 18 NORTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE
No. 18 Northwestern Oklahoma State enters Thursday's game on a four-game win streak after picking up a 75-52 win at home over Arkansas-Monticello. The Lady Rangers are currently third in the league standings with a 11-3 conference record and are 19-3 overall. NWOSU is looking to get back to the GAC Tournament after just missing out on the eighth seed last season to Southern Arkansas.

The Lady Rangers are led by one of the best scorers in the country, Faith Simpson, who leads the league in scoring and is second in Division II in points per game (21.8). The senior forward was recently named GAC Player of the Week for the fifth time this season after recording 57 points on a 56.1 percent shooting mark over her last two games. Simpson's high scoring marks helps pace the best scoring offense in the conference, averaging 77.0 points per game, which also ranks 13^th in D-II.

Along with being the top-scoring team in the conference, Northwestern Oklahoma State ranks first in field goal percentage (46.0 percent), second in three-point field goal percentage (34.1 percent) and third in rebounding (41.0 rpg). Carley Craig leads the team's three-point efforts with a 39.2 percent shooting mark from deep and a league-best 58 triples. Simpson paces NWOSU at the glass with 8.2 boards per game, having notched 18 rebounds in her last two contests.