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Henderson State University Athletics

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Elijah Smotherss drives to the basket in HSU's win over Hendrix
62
Hendrix Hend 0-2,0-0 SCAC
117
Winner Henderson St. HSU 1-0,0-0 GAC
Hendrix Hend
0-2,0-0 SCAC
62
Final
117
Henderson St. HSU
1-0,0-0 GAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Hendrix Hend 38 24 62
Henderson St. HSU 53 64 117

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Strong Games from Okoh and Hill Lead Reddies to Season Opening Win

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — Zaveion Okoh scored a game-high 32 points and Rondae Hill added 24 as Henderson State opened its 2026-27 men's basketball season with a 117-62 victory over Hendrix College on Tuesday night at the Duke Wells Center.

The Reddies (1-0) shot 57.1% from the field and forced 23 turnovers, turning those into 34 points. Henderson State held a 68-20 advantage in points in the paint and outscored the Warriors 64-24 in the second half.

Okoh finished 12 of 18 from the field, including three 3-pointers, and made five of six free throws. The junior added four rebounds, four assists, three steals, and two blocked shots.

Hill made six of nine field goals, including three of five from beyond the arc, and converted nine of 10 free throws. He led Henderson State with seven assists and added three steals.

Kaylon Mason joined the pair in double figures with 12 points and eight rebounds. AJ Howard added nine points and five rebounds, while Jabari West finished with six points and eight rebounds, including six on the offensive glass.

Hendrix (0-2) opened the game with an 11-4 lead behind three 3-pointers from Buck Sorrells in the first four minutes. Henderson State responded behind Okoh and Hill, tying the game at 22 on a four-point play from Hill with 10:11 remaining in the first half.

Mason gave the Reddies their first lead since the opening possession with a steal and dunk at the 9:29 mark. He followed with another steal and dunk before Okoh scored five points during a 13-0 run that gave Henderson State a 35-24 advantage with 6:58 remaining.

HSU extended its lead to 18 points on a 3-pointer from Justus Michael with 29 seconds left in the half before Hendrix scored on its final possession to make the halftime score 53-38.

Okoh scored 19 points in the opening period, while Hill added 15 points and five assists. Henderson State shot 52.6% from the floor and made six 3-pointers before the break.

Henderson State carried that momentum into the second half, scoring 18 of the first 24 points to build a 71-44 lead with 15:17 remaining. The stretch included two dunks from Mason and six points from Okoh.

The Reddies followed with a 16-0 run to take an 87-48 lead with 9:44 remaining. Henderson State held Hendrix scoreless for more than five minutes during the stretch, which included baskets from Tyson Whybrew, Rodrigo Rioja, Hunter-Mack Nelms and Okoh.

Henderson State reached the 100-point mark in the final five minutes and built its largest lead of 58 points with 16 seconds remaining.

The Reddies shot 61.5% from the field in the second half while holding Hendrix to 28.1%. Henderson State finished with 50 rebounds to Hendrix's 33 and held a 36-5 advantage in fast-break points.

All 14 Reddies who saw action scored, with the Henderson State bench contributing 41 points. The Reddies recorded 20 steals and committed nine turnovers.

Sorrells led Hendrix with 13 points, while Graham Comeaux added 12. The Warriors shot 33.8% from the field and made 11 of 28 attempts from 3-point range.
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