Alva Review-Courier -

LANCASTER, Texas — Henderson State got a great game from newcomer Rel Johnson and fought past the University of Mary in the second half to pull out a 66-63 win in the season opener on Friday evening.

Johnson was terrific in his debut and went for 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting in a team-high 39 minutes of action. He was a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the arc on the night. Anthony Lupardus and Kyle Murphy each added nine points for the Reddies, while Mike Fofana had eight and a team-high nine rebounds. Eight different Reddies got into the scoring column on the night.

The Reddies (1-0) got off to a fast start early and used three-straight 3-pointers from Murphy, Johnson, and Murphy again to fuel a 9-0 run and take a 23-14 lead with 8:43 to go until halftime. The Marauders countered, however, and finished the period on an 18-6 run to carry a 32-29 advantage into the locker room.

UM extended its lead out to as many as nine points on two different occasions in the second half, but Henderson refused to go away. Down 48-39 with 13:24 to go, the Reddies went on a gradual 14-5 run over the next six-and-a-half minutes to tie the game at 53-53 with just 6:57 to play.

The two teams traded blows coming to the finish but it was Chris Parker who gave Henderson its first lead of the period, 61-59, on a jumper at the 2:55 mark. The Reddies never relinquished the lead again, as big free throws down the stretch from Lupardus, Parker and Eric Dailey, as well as a late steal from Johnson, helped the Reddies hang on for the win.

Henderson shot 44 percent from the field and 40 percent from the 3-point line in the victory. The Reddies held the Marauders to 38.9 percent shooting and out-rebounded UM 38-33 on the night.

The Reddies play again tomorrow at 12 p.m. against DII power Augustana at Cedar Valley College in Lancaster, Texas.