SHAWNEE, Okla. – The last time the Henderson State women's basketball team was crowned conference tournament champions was in 2003-04 when they won the GSC. Now, the Reddies are the 2023-24 GAC Tournament Champions for the first time in program history after defeating No. 6 seed Southwestern Oklahoma State 71-55.

Brynlee Huggins and Jadah Pickens' performances across the three days earned them All-Tournament honors, while Ashley Farrar was named Tournament MVP. Huggins finished the tournament with 35 points on 12-of-25 shooting, while Pickens averaged 16.3 points per game for the tournament, and Farrar recorded 54 points and 20 rebounds in three games.

Leading a trio of players with double-figure points was Farrar with 21 points on 5-11 shooting and shot 50.0 percent from beyond the arc and was 11-of-12 from the free-throw line. The Green Forest, Ark. native added 10 rebounds to her totals for her second double-double of the year. Huggins tallied 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting from the three-point line, while Olivia Allen notched ten points.

HSU (20-11, 13-9) shot 41.4 percent (24-58) from the field and was 9-of-21 at the three-point line. The Reddies dominated the glass, out-rebounding SWOSU 52-28, and converted 13 second-chance points off 14 offensive rebounds. HSU was also efficient from the foul line, going 14-of-17.  

A tight first five minutes of the opening period had the Reddies holding a slight edge at the media break 9-6 following a three-pointer from Huggins. HSU began to stretch its lead through Allen, who provided the team its next seven points in the last three and a half minutes of the quarter to give Henderson an 18-10 advantage at the end of period one.

The HSU defense remained problematic for the Lady Bulldogs, as the Reddies held SWOSU to just one basket in the first four and a half minutes. During this stretch, Henderson grew its lead to 26-12 after a pair of three-pointers by Huggins and Farrar.

Southwestern settled in and began to chip away at the Reddies lead on a 7-2 run. A layup by Alee McClendon and a three-pointer by Farrar from stretched the red-and-grey's edge back to double-figures but two late baskets by SWOSU would make it a eight point game at halftime, 35-27.

Henderson continued to attack from the perimeter, knocking down two triples to start the second half. The game opened up, as the two sides traded blows in end-to-end action with HSU leading by 12 after back-to-back layups from Bobbi Bazzle. The Lady Bulldogs chipped away at the Reddies lead again in the third quarter, but four-points by Farrar and triple by Huggins pushed Henderson in front 54-38 and would hold a 55-40 edge heading into the final ten minutes.

Southwestern began to get the basket easier in the fourth quarter, but the red-hot offense of HSU matched every Lady Bulldog effort to keep it a 17-point game with 4:52 left. JJ Eddens put the game out of reach with under three minutes to go after making back-to-back layups to send the Reddies bench into a frenzy. When the final buzzer finally rang, the players and coaches stormed the court in celebration after clinching the programs first GAC Tournament title.