Defense carries Reddies against Bulldogs

ARKADELPHIA -- Henderson State's defense remained resolute on Saturday even when shots were not falling as the Reddies earned a 70-62 Great American Conference win over Southwestern Oklahoma State at the Duke Wells Center.

Henderson (10-5, 5-4) shot just 31.8 percent from the floor, but the Reddies forced Southwestern (3-11, 0-8) into similar shooting struggles while forcing 19 turnovers and only committing eight. The Bulldogs only hit on 35.1 percent of their shots.

Anthony Lupardus led the way for Henderson with 15 points and Joshua Jones added 13 points. Both hit three 3-pointers in the game.

Raekwon Rogers finished with 12 points and a season-high 15 rebounds. Ten of Rogers' 15 boards came on the offensive end of the floor.

Henderson got off to a quick start and used two 3-pointers from Jones and strong defense early to take a 17-3 advantage in the game's first seven minutes. Southwestern responded and used the remainder of the half to trim the deficit down to 32-29 at the break.

Southwestern came within two points on two separate occasions in the second half, but the Reddies never relinquished the lead. Henderson led, 42-40, with just over 11 minutes left, before stringing together its best run since the opening minutes.

A 16-7 stretch opened up a 58-47 advantage with 6:13 to play. The Reddies never let the Bulldogs threaten again and maintained their double-digit lead until the game's final seconds.

Henderson outscored Southwestern, 24-14, in the paint and outrebounded the Bulldogs, 40-37. The Reddies attempted 28 free throws, while the Bulldogs shot just 12.

Southwestern's Tre Evans entered the game leading the GAC in scoring with more than 24 points per game. He was held to six points and seven turnovers, fouling out with more than seven minutes remaining in the game.

Henderson will return to the court on Thursday when they cross the street to face Ouachita Baptist (6-6, 3-5) in the first Battle of the Ravine of the season at 7:30 p.m.

Women

Turnovers hampered Henderson State's women's basketball team on Saturday in a 76-64 loss at home to No. 20 Southwestern Oklahoma State.

Pink Jones led Henderson (11-6, 6-3) with 15 points and Hailey Estes added 13 while playing all 40 minutes. Blu Jones and Karrington Whaley had 12 and 11 points, respectively, but Henderson committed a season-high 23 turnovers.

Southwestern (13-1, 8-0) led, 22-20, after the first quarter, but the visiting Bulldogs outscored the Reddies, 22-12, in the second quarter to take a 44-32 advantage into the halftime break.

The Bulldogs were 6-for-12 on 3-pointers in the first half. The visitors held Henderson to 4-for-14 shooting in the second quarter.

The lead grew to 20 points twice in the third quarter before Henderson closed the gap to 65-50 entering the final frame. The Reddies trimmed the deficit to 11 points on a bucket from Estes with 6:45 to go, but they were unable to get any closer.

Henderson struggled with Southwestern's trapping defense all afternoon. The Bulldogs made 14 steals and scored 21 points off of turnovers.

The Reddies will resume play on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the first Battle of the Ravine of the season against Ouachita Baptist (5-9, 3-5) at Bill Vining Arena.

Sports on 01/13/2019

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