Women's Basketball 2025-26 Game Notes

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. - Henderson State will wrap up the 2025 year on the road against Southern Arkansas on December 17th at 5:30 PM.

Henderson State went 1-1 in their last two GAC matchups, losing at home to Arkansas Tech 72-89, before defeating #12 ranked Harding in Searcy, 69-66.

The Reddie offense is led by Natalie Cardenas, who is averaging 20.4 points per game, which ranks second in the GAC. Brynlee Huggins ranks second on the team and seventh in the GAC in points per game (15.3). The main distributor for the Reddie offense is Sam Basson, who is averaging a team-leading 3.1 assists per game, good for fifth in the GAC.

Henderson State is one of the best rebounding team in the GAC, as they are tied for third, averaging 39.9 rebounds per game, ranking fourth in offensive rebounds (12.8) and second in defensive rebounds (27.1). Grayson Fairless leads the way for the Reddies, averaging a GAC-leading 12.3 rebounds per game.

The Reddies take care of the ball well as they rank second to last in the GAC in turnovers, only committing 103 so far this season. They have forced 112 turnovers by their opponents, and are averaging 15.8 points off of those turnovers, while opponents are only averaging 13.9 points.

Scouting Southern Arkansas

The Muleriders went 2-0 in their last two GAC matchups, defeating Oklahoma Baptist 62-58, then winning against Arkansas Tech, 86-84.

The Muleriders offense is led by Blythe Crawley, who is averaging 13.8 points per game, shooting 39.8 percent from the field. Hope Bump ranks second on the team, averaging 11.2 points per game. The offense is efficient in scoring, as they rank fifth in the GAC in points per game (71.6).

This team is strong at getting rebounds, as they rank fifth in the GAC in rebounds per game (38.9), while ranking sixth in offensive rebounds (12.0) and third in defensive rebounds (26.9), Elen Lijo-Rodriguez and Kadia Ward both average a team-leading 6.4 rebounds per game.

Southern Arkansas is an opportunistic team, as they have the third-most steals in the GAC with 90. They score well off of those turnovers, as the Muleriders are currently averaging 16.8 points per game off turnovers.

The Reddies won the last time they played Southern Arkansas on the road, defeating the Muleriders 75-68. When playing away in the WT Watson Athletic Center, since the 2011-12 season, HSU is 8-6 against SAU, and is 65-52-1 overall.