Men's Basketball Looks to Bounce Back on Road

2025-26 Men's Basketball Game Notes

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – After a week affected by winter weather, Reddie men's basketball travels to Ada, Oklahoma to open the second half of Great American Conference play. Tip-off from Kerr Activities Center is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

Henderson State returns to action Thursday after a weather-related postponement when it travels to East Central for the second match-up of the 2025-26 season with the Tigers. The Reddies won the previous match-up, 75-51, at the Duke Wells Center in December.

HSU struggled from the field in last week's loss at Ouachita. The Reddies' woes from long range continued, shooting just 3-15 from distance. The Henderson offense managed just 60 points for the second consecutive game, and has dropped to eighth in the league in scoring offense (conference games only).
Scoring came at a premium in last week's road loss; the Reddies failed to have a single player score in double figures for the first time this season and for the first time in the Great American Conference era.

The Henderson bench continues to produce at a conference-best level: the Reddies' 24.5 bench points per game paces the GAC at the halfway point of the conference season.

Scouting East Central

East Central has won four of the 10 games it has played since the first matchup with Henderson State, including 91-76 over Oklahoma Baptist and 84-64 over Southeastern Oklahoma.

The Tiger offense is fifth-best in the Great American Conference, but it is marked by efficiency. ECU owns the best field goal percentage in the league and the second-best three-point percentage.

ECU's 16.2 assists per game paces the GAC, and half of those assists come from team leader Jaden Miller: the Tiger point guard averages 8.6 assists per game, which leads all of Division 2. Miller also leads the division in total assists with 146 helpers.

Last Match-up: Henderson State, powered by a blistering start from Xavier Owens and a smothering defensive effort, stormed to a 75–51 win over East Central. Henderson State controlled the game from the opening tip, holding East Central to 32 percent shooting for the afternoon and limiting the Tigers to just 18 points in the paint and zero second-chance points.

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Players Mentioned

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

Players Mentioned

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

Players Mentioned

#20 Xavier Owens

Players Mentioned

#20 Xavier Owens

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