ARKADELPHIA -- Henderson State returns home Thursday to face the top scoring team in the Great American Conference as the Reddies play host to Arkansas Tech with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m. at the Duke Wells Center.
Thursday's double-header will begin with the women's game at 5:30 p.m. between Henderson (8-4, 4-2) and the Golden Suns (9-1, 5-1). Arkansas Tech's women's team ranks second in the GAC behind Southwestern Oklahoma State (11-1, 6-0).
Live stats, audio and video streaming will also be available via the Henderson State University Athletics website at www.hsusports.com.
The Reddies (6-6, 1-5) will attempt to end a four-game GAC losing streak after losing to Southeastern Oklahoma, 60-58, on Saturday. Henderson must put together a solid offensive performance as the Reddies average just 67.2 points per game against GAC opponents, 11th in the league, and are connecting on 37.5 percent from the field, including just 28.8 from beyond the arc in conference contests.
Kaylon Tappin, a senior guard from Little Rock and transfer from Arkansas State University Mid-South in West Memphis, averages 20.5 points per game against GAC opponents and 18.8 points overall. He has scored in double-figures in the last seven games and has scored 20 or more points in seven of 12 games this season.
Josh Jones has scored in double-figures in all six conference games, averaging just over 15 points in GAC play. The junior from Memphis, Tenn., averages 14.8 points per game overall and is shooting 48.8 percent from the field.
Chris Parker continues to have a solid freshman season averaging 12.9 points per game. The Plano, Texas, product is shooting 51 percent from the field and leads the Reddies in assists with 48.
The Wonder Boys (10-2, 4-2) had their eight-game winning streak snapped on Saturday as Southern Nazarene beat them 85-82. ATU leads the GAC in scoring, averaging 90.8 points per game, including 85.5 against GAC competition. The Wonder Boys are tops in 3-point field goals made, knocking down 12.5 per contest.
Defensively, the team is last in the league in allowing 82.5 points per game. Opponents have scored 80 or more points in nine of 12 games this season.
Freshman R.J. Glasper, a transfer from the Arkansas Razorbacks, leads the team in scoring, averaging 17.4 points, including scoring double-figures in 11 of 12 games. The Forrest City product leads the GAC in free throw shooting at 95.4 percent, 51-for-54. Glasper is also a strong outside shooter having made 26 of 63 shots, 41.3 percent, from beyond the arc.
Henderson State leads the all-time series against Arkansas Tech, 82-79. The Wonder Boys have won 18 of the last 21 meetings, including the last three contests. Since the inception of the GAC, Arkansas Tech owns a 10-3 record over the Reddies, including a 77-47 victory in the 2013 GAC Tournament.
Sports on 01/11/2018