Reddies best Ouachita Baptist 78-76 in final seconds
ARKADELPHIA – With five seconds remaining and the game tied 76-76, Brynlee Huggins drained a jumper as time expired to lift Henderson State past Ouachita Baptist 78-76 on Thursday.
HSU (15-8, 11-6) got hot from behind the arc in the first half, shooting 50.0 percent (8-16), and would finish 10-24 while shooting 45.2 percent from the field. The Tigers won the battle at the glass 44-30, but the Reddies would convert 86 percent from the free-throw line compared to OBU, who only shot 68 percent from the foul line.
Jadah Pickens and
Tori Gittens led the scoring with 16 points, and
Brynlee Huggins would tally 14, including the game-winner. Gittens was the Reddies’ most efficient shot taker, shooting 5-of-6 for the game, and was a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc. Makenna Winans recorded a teamhigh eight rebounds and added six points to her totals, while Pickens and Olivia Allen combined for eight assists.
After two minutes of action, the Reddies led 5-0 through a three-pointer from Gittens, but a 6-0 run by OBU saw the
Tiger jump ahead 10-7. A second triple by Gittens knotted the game at 10-all before the Tigers grew their edge back out to 15-11. Ouachita Baptist dominated the battle of
the glass in the first quarter with seven offensive rebounds, which would see them hold a 15-13 lead at the end of the quarter.
Two baskets from Pickens tied the game at
15-15 and 17-17 before the Tigers took a 22-17 lead on a 5-0 burst. Allen cut it to a two-point game with a three-pointer, but OBU would make it a five-point contest again in its next two possessions. HSU continued to attack the perimeter with another two three-pointers from Gittens and Sam Basson to cut the lead to 32-31. Another two triples from Gittens and Huggins in the final minute and a half gave the Reddies a 37-36 edge at halftime.
Ouachita Baptist began the second half with two quick baskets to take a three-point lead 42-39.
The Reddies climbed back on top through a 7-0 run capped off by another three-pointer by Gittens and added to their lead with baskets from Winans and JJ Eddens, 52-45.
The Tigers soon found their footing again after weathering the offensive flurry from HSU with a
9-2 run to tie the contest 54-all. Pickens capitalized off a late OBU turnover to score a layup with 14 seconds left in the quarter to put Henderson ahead 56-54 at the end of the frame.
HSU and OBU traded baskets in the first two possessions of the fourth quarter, and the Tigers soon tied the game 58-58 and later took the lead 59-58. A triple by Huggins sparked a 7-0 run to push the Reddies back in front, but the Tigers remained close 65-62. Both sides traded points for the next five minutes, with HSU holding a slim advantage, 74-73.
The home crowd played a role in one of the game’s biggest moments,