ADA, Okla. -- Things were tight between Henderson State and East Central for the game's opening six minutes on Thursday night, but the Tigers did not let it stay close for long.
East Central (6-3, 4-1 in Great American Conference play) used five 3-pointers in row during a big run in the first half to gap the Reddies (6-5, 1-4). The Tigers raced away for a 109-75 win.
With the Reddies leading 11-9 at the 14:14 mark Thursday, East Central got hot and ripped off a 23-4 run over the next seven minutes, highlighted by five-consecutive 3-pointers. Three of the treys were converted by forward Jamey Woods to lead the Tigers to a 32-15 advantage.
Henderson used back-to-back buckets from freshman Plano, Texas, guard Chris Parker and Brad Nairn, a 6-6 forward from Nassau, Bahamas, to trim the deficit to 13 points. The Tigers put their foot on the gas again and extended the advantage to 52-33 at the halftime break.
The Reddies did their best to fight back in the final 20 minutes, but to no avail. East Central never let up and cruised through the second half to claim the win.
Parker was a bright spot for the Reddies and was the game's high scorer with 25 points on 11-for-17 shooting from the floor and 2-for-5 from distance. He also tacked on five assists and five boards.
Josh Jones, a 6-5 guard from Memphis, Tenn., and a transfer from Richmond, added 16 points. Kaylon Tappin, a senior guard from Little Rock and a transfer from Arkansas State University Mid-South in West Memphis, chipped in 15 in the defeat for Henderson.
The Reddies shot 45.5 percent as a team in the game, but East Central shot lights out at just under 60 percent, 14-for-27, to race away for the win on its home court. Henderson did perform well at the free throw line on the night, going 16-for-23 at the charity stripe, a 69.6 percent clip.
Henderson will aim to end a three-game GAC losing skid against Southeastern Oklahoma State on Saturday with tip-off set for 3 p.m. at Bloomer Sullivan Arena in Durant, Okla. The Reddies are averaging 83.7 points per game for the season but have been limited to 69.0 points in their five GAC contests. Defensively, the Reddies are allowing 84.8 points per game against GAC competition.
Parker has been Henderson's top scorer as of late, averaging 20.5 points per game in the last four games, including a career-high 25 points against East Central. The freshman averages 13.4 points per game, second among freshman in the GAC. Parker is also averaging 4.1 assists per contest, which is ninth in the league.
Tappin is second in the GAC in scoring, averaging 19.2 points per game, including 21.6 points in conference games. The senior has scored in double-figures in the last six games, averaging 23.0 points.
Jones is averaging 14.9 points per game including scoring in double-figures in all five GAC contests. The junior leads the Reddies in 3-point shooting, hitting on 45 percent of his attempts, 21 of 47.
The Savage Storm (5-6, 4-2) is coming off a 78-69 victory over Ouachita Baptist on Thursday night. Southeastern shot a season-best 63 percent from the field against the Tigers and shot 52.2 percent from behind the arc by hitting 12 of 23 3-pointers.
For the season, the Savage Storm averages 72.3 points per game offensively, which ranks 10th in the GAC. On defense, opponents are averaging 74.5 points per game.
Southeastern's Markell Henderson turned in a season-high 30 points in the win over OBU. The senior from Boswell, Okla., connected on 11-of-15 from the floor and was a perfect 5-of-5 from 3-point range. He leads the team in scoring, averaging 14.4 points per game, while pulling down 4.3 rebounds per contest.
Sophomore Kevin Buckingham, a 6-6 forward from Keller, Texas, averages 12.7 points while leading the team in rebounding at 5.8 boards per game. Last year against the Reddies, he totaled 25 points in the two games.
Jett Jobe leads the team and ranks eighth in the GAC in assists per game at 4.2 dishes. Jobe also averages double-figures, scoring 10.1 points while leading the team in 3-point field goals with 20. The transfer from Mississippi State combined for 24 points and 14 assists in the series against Henderson a year ago, including 15 points and 7 assists in the contest played in Durant.
Henderson lead the all-time series against Southeastern with a 12-7 advantage after winning both games last year.
Live stats, audio and video streaming will also be available via the Henderson State University Athletics website at www.hsusports.com.
Sports on 01/06/2018