Reddies drop heartbreaker in overtime to Boll Weevils
ARKADELPHIA — Henderson State’s late, second-half comeback fell short as Arkansas-Monticello beat the Reddies, 91-84, in overtime Thursday at the Duke Wells Center.
Trailing by as many as 10 points in the second half, Henderson (1212, 7-11 Great American Conference) fought furiously in the final seven minutes of regulation and tied the score at 75-75 when Chris Parker broke free for a layup with
2:17 left on the clock.
The Reddies were able to stop Monticello (15-9, 10-8) on its next trip and Parker gave Henderson a
77-75 advantage with another layup with 55 seconds on the clock. Brad Nairn forced a turnover on the Boll Weevils’ next possession and the Reddies got the ball back with 40 seconds left.
Henderson worked the clock down and Parker was forced to throw up a 3-pointer as the play clock was about to expire. Parker’s shot was short and the Reddies turned the ball over.
Monticello had 10 seconds to work and Henderson’s defense did not allow any penetration. Derylton Hill threw up a prayer from 25 feet that hit off of the front of the rim and bounced around before Keelin Jackson tipped it in as time expired to force overtime.
In the extra period, Monticello outscored the Reddies 14-7. Henderson failed to score in the last
2:11 of overtime, allowing the Weevils to finish the game on a 7-0 run.
In the opening half, Henderson took a 16-11 lead behind 3-point field goals by Parker and Josh Jones and layups by Kaylon Tappin and D.J. Franklin.
Tyrin Jones jump-started Monticello, hitting a pair of 3-pointers of his own. The Boll Weevils took a
28-24 lead with 6:48 left in the half. The Reddies went on a four-minute drought to allow Monticello to regain the lead.
Parker ended the half with an
18-foot jumper as time expired with the Reddies trailing 35-34. He finished the half with nine points, while Monticello’s Jones scored 16.
With the game tied at 43-43 just four minutes into the second half, Monticello went on a 13-4 run to take a 56-47 advantage with 13:06 remaining. The Boll Weevils had a
69-60 lead at the 7:45 mark, but the Reddies mounted their comeback.
Henderson went on a 9-0 run behind a 3-pointer by Jones, a dunk and a pair of free throws by Nairn and a layup by Matt Panaggio to tie things at 69-69 with 5:10 left.
Panaggio led the Reddies with
17 points and 5 rebounds, while Jones finished with 16 points. Parker totaled 15 points and Nairn collected 13 points and 7 boards.
The Reddies finished the night shooting 49 percent, 34 of 70, from the field, while Monticello was 33 of 57 for 58 percent. Henderson was 12 of 13 from the foul line, while the Boll Weevils hit 17-of-23 free throws.
Henderson will attempt to end a 10-game road losing skid to Arkansas Tech (15-9, 9-9) in a key GAC contest today at 3 p.m. in Tucker Coliseum.
Panaggio, a 6-4 senior guard from Port Orange, Fla., has averaged 10.6 points per game in the last five contests. The Mercer transfer averages seven points and 4.1 boards per game for the season.
Parker is averaging 13.9 points and has scored an average of 16.3 points in his last six game. in his first game against Arkansas Tech this season, the freshman from Plano, Texas, scored 16 points and shot 10-for-12 at the foul line.
Tappin, a senior from Little Rock, scored 25 points in the first matchup with the Wonder Boys. The Arkansas State University-Mid South transfer is Henderson’s leading scorer at 18.3 points per game, but has averaged just 11 points in his last three games.
Jones is averaging 14.2 points per game this season. The Memphis native scored 20 points and pulled down seven rebounds in the first game this year against Arkansas Tech.
Arkansas Tech leads the GAC in scoring, averaging 86.4 points per game, including 83.2 against GAC competition. The Wonder Boys are tops in 3-point field goals made, knocking down 11.7 per contest. Defensively, the team is 11th in the league, allowing 82.7 points per game.
Freshman R.J. Glasper leads the team in scoring, averaging 19.1 points including scoring double-figures in 22 of 23 games. The transfer from the University of Arkansas scored 13 points in the first game against Henderson.
The Reddies lead the all-time series, 83-79, but the Wonder Boys have won 18 of the last 21 meetings. Henderson last won in Tucker Coliseum in February 2007.