REDDIES RACE PAST GOLDEN SUNS TO REACH #theGAC SEMIFINALS
Courtesy HSUSports.com
SHAWNEE, Okla. — Henderson State and Arkansas Tech split two nail-biters during the regular season, but in the contest that mattered most on Friday evening, it was the Reddies who dominated.
Behind a brilliant start and terrific defense throughout the night, No. 4 seed Henderson raced past No. 5 seed Arkansas Tech at FireLake Arena 82-62 to advance to the semifinals of the Great American Conference Tournament for the third time in the last five seasons.
The No. 4 seed Reddies will play the No. 1 seed and No. 7 ranked team in the country Southern Nazarene tomorrow night at 5:45 p.m. for a berth in the GAC Tournament championship game.
Brynlee Huggins led four Henderson State players in double figures by pouring in a game-high 21 points behind 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc. Ashley Farrar added 14 points while Jadah Pickens finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Tori Gittens chipped in 13 points and three 3-pointers.
It was a dream start to postseason play for the Reddies. Henderson State hit five 3-pointers in the first quarter, including two each from Huggins and Farrar, to fly out to a 26-17 lead after 10 minutes.
The lead continued to grow for Henderson in the second as stellar Reddie defense limited Tech to just one basket through the first five minutes of the quarter. HSU took advantage on the other end of the floor and saw its lead balloon out to 39-21 on a 3-pointer from Gittens with 4:30 left in the opening half.
The Golden Suns tried to cut into the lead before the break, and used a three-point-play and a 3-pointer to trim the deficit to 12 points, but another flurry from the Reddies, including two buckets from Gittens, helped HSU close the period strong and take a 49-33 advantage into the locker room.
Despite The Golden Suns' best efforts, there was no let up for Henderson in the third. The Reddies continued to put the pressure on the Golden Suns and never let the lead slip below 15 points. The advantage only grew as a three-point play from Alee McClendon with two seconds remaining in the quarter gave HSU its largest lead of the game, 69-48.
It was never in doubt in the final stretch. The lead grew to as many as 24 points in the fourth quarter as the Reddies secured the program's first ever postseason victory over Arkansas Tech in emphatic fashion.
Henderson dominated in all facets in the win and led for more than 38 minutes. HSU out-rebounded the Golden Suns 49-38 and limited them to just 33% shooting from the floor. The Reddies shot 48% on the other end and finished 12-of-27 as a team from 3-point range.
Saturday will be the fourth GAC Semifinals appearance for HSU in program history and the third since 2020.