Reddies return to action against defending conference champs

ADA, Okla. — Henderson State returns to Great American Conference play today as the Reddies travel to face defending conference champion East Central with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m.

Live stats, audio and video streaming will be available via the Henderson State University Athletics website at www.hsusports.com.

The Reddies (6-4, 1-3) have won their last three games, outscoring their opponents by an average of

43.7 points per game while scoring over 100 points in each game. Henderson is averaging 84.6 points per game, third in the GAC.

Kaylon Tappin leads the league in scoring, averaging 19.6 points per game, including a GAC-best 23.3 points in conference games. The senior from Little Rock has averaged 24.6 points in the last five contests.

Josh Jones follows, averaging 14.8 points per game, including scoring in double-figures in all four GAC contests. The junior from Memphis, Tenn., is shooting

45 percent from the 3-point arc, including 8-of-19 in GAC games.

Chris Parker is averaging 12.2 points per game, including scoring an average of 19 points in the last three games. The product of Plano, Texas, ranks second in scoring among GAC freshman while averaging four assists per contest, which is eighth overall in the league.

Brad Nairn also averages double-figures at 10.4 points per game. The senior from Nassau, Bahamas, is pulling down 5.6 rebounds per outing.

East Central (5-3 overall, 3-1) has conference wins over Arkansas Tech, Harding and Southern Arkansas. ECU averages 82.5 points per game while allowing

74.8 points per contest. The Tigers have one of the better shooting teams in the GAC, hitting on 48 percent from the field while averaging a conference-best

18.1 assists per game.

Six players are averaging double figures, including all five starters.

Cameron Talley leads the way scoring 14.1 points per contest. The sophomore from Rockwall, Texas, has scored in double-figures in the last six games, including a season-best 25 points against Dallas Christian. Talley scored 19 points including going 4-for-4 from beyond the arc in last year’s game against the Reddies in Arkadelphia.

Henderson and East Central meet today for the

26th time in a series which dates back to 1957. The Tigers lead the series with a 13-12 advantage after winning all three games last season, including a 96-73 in the GAC Tournament.

ECU has won the last seven meetings with Henderson. The Reddies’ last win against East Central was a 75-56 home victory on Jan. 30, 2014.