ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Following a back-and-forth first half between the Reddies and Bulldogs, a second half flurry helped push Henderson State to a decisive 87-78 win.
 
Hustle proved to be key in HSU's second-half rally. The Reddies outscored SWOSU in points in the paint, second chance points, fastbreak points. Henderson scored 48 points in the paint to just 36 for the Bulldogs, 17 points on second chance points to six, and 15 points on the fast break to just three.
 
In the first half, the Reddies made just 12 shots from the field and three three-pointers. Following the break, HSU came out hot, connecting on 23 of 32 shots from the field and seven of 12 threes: good for 71.9 percent and 58.3 percent, respectively.
 
As both teams came out of the gates sluggish in the first half, the Bulldogs pulled away early with an 18-11 run thanks to a Tucker Sheperd jumper. The Reddies withstood the Bulldog run, turning to Nehikhare Igiehon for offense. Igiehon knocked down two layups late in the half, cutting the Bulldog lead to two going into the half.  
 
Out of the break, Chase Farmer threw down a poster fastbreak dunk with 18:18 remaining, which inspired a 30-14 run for the squad. Five different players made a three-pointer in the second half, leading to Henderson outscoring the Bulldogs by 11. An Igiehon layup with 4:49 remaining pushed the lead to 16.
 
Farmer led the team in plus-minus rating to go along with 13 points and six rebounds in just 26 minutes of play.
 
With the win, the Reddies improve to 10-3 overall and 6-1 in conference play: good for a share of first place in the conference.
 
Top Performers:
Rondae Hill: 18 pts., 4 ast., and 3 stocks
Jamarion Brown: 12 pts., 5 reb., and 5-7 FG
 
HSU returns to the Duke Wells Center on Saturday for a 3 p.m. matchup versus Northwestern Oklahoma State.