ARKADELPHIA -- Hailey Estes and Blu Jones combined for 51 points for career nights Thursday as the Reddies dominated Ouachita Baptist in a 79-59 win at Vining Arena.
In addition to the stellar work from the backcourt pair, the Reddies (12-4, 7-3 Great American Conference) set a new program record for 3-point shooting, making 18 in the victory. Estes and Jones put up 15 of the team's treys with Estes leading the Reddies with 26 points on 8-for-13 shooting from distance. Jones added 25 while hitting seven of her 14 shots from 3-point range.
The duo hit nothing but threes in the opening 3:49 of the game to take a 12-4 lead with Karrington Whaley adding the remaining four points for Henderson State in the first quarter for a 16-10 lead. Jones and Estes had back-to-back treys to open the second quarter as the added the first 17 points of the period as the Reddies pushed out to a 35-14 lead at the 5:40 mark.
Ouachita (5-10, 3-6) pulled within 15 points on a 6-0 run over the next 2:34, but HSU pulled back out to an 18-point lead twice before settling into a 40-26 halftime lead. Jones and Estes combined for nine of their 15 treys in the first half as the team was 10-for-20 from beyond the arc with just two buckets made inside.
The Tigers pulled within 44-35 with 3:04 off the game clock on a 9-4 run, but a 3-pointer by Estes 14 seconds later gave the Reddies a double-digit lead they would not relinquish for the remainder of the game. The Reddies held a 58-47 lead with 10 minutes remaining, and they put the game away on a 13-2 stretch for the 20-point win -- the team's ninth win in the last 10 bouts with the Tigers.
Former Lake Hamilton standout Taylor Wells came off the bench in the final period, making a 3-pointer from the corner after just 17 seconds on the court. The pocket shot was the only time Wells scored in six minutes of action while pulling down one board on the offensive end.
Ouachita had three players in double figures with senior Alivia Huell, of Malvern, leading the team with 14 points and eight rebounds. Eden Crow added 13 points with seven rebounds, and Madison Brittain shot for 11 points with a pair of blocks.
The Reddies' previous 3-point record was set on Nov. 30, 2000, as the team combined for 16. The program's individual record remains unbroken since Jasmine Settles' sank nine against Arkansas Tech in 2015.
Henderson will host Arkansas Tech (6-9, 3-6) at 1 p.m. today in the Duke Wells Center. Ouachita will host Arkansas-Monticello (4-10, 3-6) at 1 p.m.
Sports on 01/19/2019