Men's Basketball Travels to Searcy for First GAC Road Contest

2025-26 Men's Basketball Game Notes

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. -- Henderson State men's basketball will face its first GAC road test Saturday afternoon in Searcy, where the Reddies will match up with the Harding Bisons. Tip-off from Rhodes-Reaves Field House is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.

Henderson State scored the fewest points it has in a game all season, but was still able to defeat Arkansas Tech on Thursday, using stellar defense and transition offense to win a 63-59 contest. The Reddies finish their longest homestand of the conference season with a 2-1 record, and look to improve on that conference record in their first road game Saturday.

The Reddie defense was the star of Thursday's win, holding Arkansas Tech to just 17-of-51 shooting from the field and 9-of-31 from three-point range. HSU's defense has given up two of its three lowest-scoring games on this homestand, with last Saturday's win over East Central and Thursday's win over Arkansas Tech.

While the Reddies still lead the GAC in scoring offense, they rank just sixth in league play, averaging just 69.3 points per game. However, in conference games, the Henderson defense is fourth-best in the league, yielding just 61.3 points to opponents per game.

Speaking of conference-only stats, HSU boasts two of the top six scorers during the opening two weeks of league play. Xavier Owens (16.3 ppg) ranks third, while KJ Sykes (16.0 ppg) ranks sixth. Tyson Whybrew ranks second in rebounds with eight rebounds per game in GAC play.

Scouting Harding

Defending GAC champion Harding has yet to lose in conference play this season and has won seven consecutive games coming into Saturday's matchup with the Reddies. The Bisons lost each of their opening weekend games to Arkansas-Fort Smith and Rogers State before their current seven-game streak.

HU boasts the second-best defense in the GAC this season; the Bisons allow just 61.3 points per game, while allowing just 51.3 points through the first three conference games. Harding held UAM to just 46 points in their matchup on Tuesday.

The Bisons are the best rebounding team in the GAC, averaging 43.9 rebounds per game; they outrebound teams by an average of nine rebounds per game. Harding's leading rebounder, Wesley Booker, is second in the conference, averaging 8.2 rebounds per contest.

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Players Mentioned

#4 KJ Sykes: G; 5' 9"; Junior

#15 Tyson Whybrew: F; 6' 6"; Junior

#20 Xavier Owens: G; 6' 5"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#4 KJ Sykes
: 5' 9"; Junior
: G

#15 Tyson Whybrew
: 6' 6"; Junior
: F

#20 Xavier Owens
: 6' 5"; Senior
: G

Players Mentioned

#4 KJ Sykes

#15 Tyson Whybrew

#20 Xavier Owens

Players Mentioned

#4 KJ Sykes

#15 Tyson Whybrew

#20 Xavier Owens

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