ADA, Okla. – The Reddies travelled to Ada Oklahoma tonight, to face off against East Central for the second time this season, losing 73-65.

The Henderson State (11-5, 7-5) offense was led tonight by Jayla Lewis, who scored 19 points, followed by Brynlee Huggins with 12, while Grayson Fairless and Macy each added eight. Riley Samples led the Reddies in rebounds, collecting six on the night, while Fairless followed with five. Natalie Cardenas was the distributor on the court, as she led with four assists. Defensively, Fairless recorded two blocks and Cardenas had four steals.

Game Recap
The first quarter opened with East Central taking an early 6-1 lead before Fairless landed a layup to set the score at 6-3 in the first four minutes. The Tigers continued to put up points, extending their lead to 12 points. While the Tigers scored two threes to set their score to 18, the Reddies wouldn't give up, as Fairless added four and Huggins added two as the Reddies went into the second quarter down 5, 18-13. The Reddies shot 33.3 percent from the field.

The second quarter began with a flurry of scoring, as the Tigers scored four, while Lewis scored five narrow the lead to 22-20 for the Reddies. East Central kept the pressure up, extending their lead to 30-22 with four minutes left in the half. Lewis continued to show up for the Reddies, scoring four more points and the Reddies were down 35-28 in the last minute. Cardenas scored two free throws to end the half, the Reddies down five 35-30.

In the third, Huggins kept the Reddies within five, responding to each score on her own to prevent East Central from extending their lead. With four minutes left, the Tigers continued to try and extend their lead, but Lewis kept the Reddies in the game, scoring four to hold the score at 46-38 with three minutes left in the quarter. Macy Willis nailed a three to put Henderson State within two with one minute left, but the Tigers held them off and went into the final quarter up 50-45.

The fourth quarter was when the Tigers finally pushed, scoring five straights to extend their lead to 10 before Willis ended their run with two free throws. Willis kept the Reddies in the game, scoring a total of five points, while Lewis scored seven, but the Reddies couldn't hang on, and ultimately lost 73-65.

Up Next –
Women's Basketball continues their road trip in Durant, Oklahoma, where they'll face off against the Savage Storm of Southeastern Oklahoma State. Tip off is at 1:00 PM in the Bloomer Sullivan Arena.