ARKADELPHIA -- Henderson State had four players in double-figures and shot 50 percent from the field on Saturday afternoon as the Reddies ran away from Arkansas-Monticello, 69-47, to stretch their Great American Conference winning streak to a program-record six games.
The Reddies (10-4, 6-2 GAC) were all over their opponents from the opening tip for the second straight game after starting hot against Arkansas Tech (10-2, 6-2) on Thursday. They began the game on an 11-0 to set the tone for the first half.
Arkansas-Monticello (5-8, 1-7) closed the gap down to 13-8 at the end of the first quarter with a spurt of its own, but Henderson controlled the second and outscored the Blossoms 22-10 in the period behind five 3-pointers.
Three of the treys were delivered by Torrie Thompson. Henderson seized a 35-18 halftime advantage.
The Blossoms attempted to speed up the pace in the third quarter and began attacking the basket, trying to spark a run. Henderson had an answer for every Arkansas-Monticello score and got deep 3-pointers from Haleigh Henson and Lani Snowden to maintain its 17-point advantage, 52-35, heading into the final quarter.
A 10-1 start to the fourth, behind seven points from Pink Jones and a three from Hailey Estes, helped the Reddies take a stranglehold on the game as they extended their lead out to 62-36. With just 6:36 to play, Arkansas-Monticello could not rally, and Henderson ran away for the 69-47 win.
Thompson was the catalyst for Henderson on the offensive end, finishing with 17 points after scoring 11 in the first half. Jones, Henson and Snowden each added 11 points, with both Henson and Snowden hitting three 3-pointers, while Jones chipped in seven assists. Estes finished with eight points, 12 rebounds and five assists in the win, falling just one bucket short of what would have been her fourth-straight double-double.
As a team, Henderson shot 50 percent from the field for the game, including 42.9 percent from beyond the 3-point line. Defensively, the Reddies held Arkansas-Monticello to just 34.7 percent shooting from the field, 7.7 percent from 3-point range and out-rebounded the Blossoms 34-25.
The Reddies' next game is the first Battle of the Ravine of the basketball season. The women will kick off the doubleheader at 5:30 p.m. against Ouachita Baptist (8-5, 4-3) at Bill Vining Arena.
Sports on 01/14/2018