ARKADELPHIA -- Henderson State proved too much for Ouachita Baptist Thursday night in the Battle of the Ravine at HSU's Duke Wells Center as the Reddies routed the Tigers 88-66.
The Tigers (6-8, 3-6 Great American Conference) could not compete with the Reddies' size or their 59% shooting from the field as HSU (12-3, 7-2) handed OBU its fourth-straight loss. The win gave the Reddies their sixth-straight win and fifth-consecutive league win, the program's longest conference win streak since the 2006-07 season.
Both teams had a strong start with the Reddies going 7 for 13, including 3 of 5 from 3-point range, while the Tigers were 8 for 11 in the first eight minutes for an early 18-all tie. HSU hit a 12-5 run, capitalizing on a 3-point play from Quawn Marshall and back-to-back treys from Rel Johnson and Chris Owens for a 30-23 lead.
The Tigers responded with 4 straight points, but a 14-2 spurt over the final six minutes of the first half gave the Reddies a 44-29 lead at intermission, thanks in part to 8-for-14 shooting from distance. Despite shooting 75% in the first 10 minutes, the Tigers cooled to 20% shooting after the Reddies moved to a full-court pressure defense in the final 10 of the half.
HSU pushed out to a 52-34 lead in the first four minutes of the second half, but the Tigers hit a 17-5 surge to pull within 57-51 with 10 minutes remaining. The Reddies responded with a 23-6 run, highlighted by three alley-oops from Mike Fofana, Raekwon Rogers and Johnson, slamming the door on any chance of a comeback with a 22-point win.
Chris Parker led the Reddies with 17 points and 5 assists, joining the 1,000-point club with his 15 first-half points. Anthony Lupardus added 12, Johnson had 11, and Rogers and Marshall put up 10 each while Fofana had a team-high 9 rebounds and 5 assists. The team shot 83.3% (15 for 18) from inside the arc in the second half.
Kendarious Smith led the Tigers with 19 points and 3 steals with a team-leading 33 minutes on the floor. Eric Brown added 11 points, and Lake Hamilton grad Larenz Nero put up 8 while grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds.
The Reddies travel to Russellville today for a 3 p.m. contest against Arkansas Tech. The Tigers will visit Monticello to face the Boll Weevils at 4 p.m.
Reddies trounce Tigers
ARKADELPHIA -- Maci Mains scored 17 points off the bench to lead the Reddies for the fourth-consecutive game and an 8-point flurry from Blu Jones over two minutes helped HSU win its sixth-straight game against OBU, 75-46.
The Reddies (11-4, 6-3 GAC) were able to bounce back after Saturday's loss to Southwestern Oklahoma State that snapped a four-game winning streak. Mains has scored at least 17 points in four-straight games.
Mains scored 5 points in under 30 seconds to give the Reddies a 7-4 lead with 5:54 left in the first quarter, but the quick boost was the last of the team's scoring in the quarter other than one other basket as they trailed 10-9 going into the second period.
HSU went 6 for 9 over the next 5:37 as the team hit a 14-2 stretch to turn the game around to a 23-12 lead. The Lady Tigers (4-11, 1-8) hit a 5-1 spurt to cut the spread to 7 before an 8-0 run over the final three minutes of the half left the Reddies with a 32-17 lead at intermission. The Reddies shot a blistering 53.3% (8 for 15) in the second quarter for 38.7% (12 for 31) for the first half.
The Lady Tigers came out hot in the second half despite losing Madison Brittain to an apparent knee injury late in the second quarter, hitting an 11-2 run over the first 2:24 of the half to pull within 34-28. OBU missed four straight shots before a momentum-changing 3-pointer from Lani Snowden gave the Reddies a 37-28 lead.
Blu Jones then scored on four straight possessions to take a 49-33 lead going into the final 10 minutes.
OBU lost what momentum it had in the final frame as the Reddies pushed out to a 22-point lead with a 10-2 spurt early. The Lady Tigers would not get closer than 21 as Madi Nichols, Gracie Raby and Ashley Farrar all downed treys down the stretch to secure the win.
The Lady Tigers struggled from the field in the first half, shooting 26.9% (7 of 26) after just 3-for-13 shooting (23.1%) in the second quarter. The team was 18 for 58 (31.0%) for the game. HSU shot 44.4% (28 of 63) for the game, including 8 for 20 (40.0%) from 3-point range.
Snowden put up 12 points for the Reddies, Blu Jones added 10, and Hailey Estes scored 8 with a game-high 13 rebounds. Maija Gertsone led OBU with 22 points, and Madison Raney had 10 as the only other Lady Tiger in double figures. Eden Crow pulled down a team-high 5 rebounds before fouling out after just 28 minutes on the court.
HSU travels to Russellville today for a 1 p.m. game against Arkansas Tech. The Lady Tigers will face Arkansas-Monticello on the road at 2 p.m.
Sports on 01/18/2020