Tweet #theGAC  SHAWNEE, Okla. – Henderson State rode the hot hand of reserve Abbie Jiles to a 79-66 victory against East Central in Friday’s opening Great American Conference Women’s Basketball Championships quarterfinal match from FireLake Arena.
 
Jiles, who entered Friday averaging 3.3 points per game and had scored just 918 points total in her last four games, exploded for a career-high 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting. She went 3-for-3 from the 3-point arc. After converting a single 3-point field goal in the first half, she scored 19 points in 15 minutes of second half playing time.
 
With the game tied at 65 with 4:23, the Reddies (19-10) scored 14 of the game’s final 15 points to secure the program’s third semifinal appearance at the GAC Championships – all since 2018. The Tigers (15-12) missed their final 11 shots. They finished shooting just 29.2 percent from the floor. By contrast, the Reddies shot 66.7 percent in the fourth quarter.
 
Jiles and Gracie Raby combined to score 17 of Henderson State’s 23 fourth-quarter points. Raby did not miss in the quarter, going 3-for-3 and finished with 14 points overall. Karrington Whaley grabbed a game-high 12 points.
 
Emily Wilson provided steady scoring for the Tigers. She connected on 6-of-12 shots and finished with a team-leading 16 points. Mackenzie Crusoe added 14 points, but on just 5-of-19 shooting, and nine rebounds.
 
Henderson State draws regular-season champion Southwestern Oklahoma State in Saturday’s first women’s semifinal, scheduled for 5:45 PM. The Lady Bulldogs claimed both of regular-season meetings and have won the last 10 in the series.