RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — After trailing for nearly the entire second half, Henderson State's Rel Johnson converted a go-ahead And-1 with 10.5 seconds left and the defense came up with a huge stop in the final seconds, as the Reddies defeated Arkansas Tech 80-79 on Saturday afternoon at Tucker Coliseum for their first Great American Conference win of the year.

Despite leading 33-29 at the half, the Reddies (5-2, 1-1) trailed for almost the entire second period, as Arkansas Tech (2-4, 0-2) used hot shooting to control the action throughout the half. The Reddies hung around, however, and eventually found themselves down 78-75 with just under one minute to play.

A driving layup from Johnson with 24 seconds left cut the deficit to 78-77 and Henderson was forced to foul with 16 seconds remaining. Tech's Freddy Lee stepped to the line with a chance to make it a three-point game but missed the second of the two shots. The miss was snagged by the Reddies and it was Johnson who took it coast-to-coast and finished at the rim through the foul to tie the game with 10.5 to go.

Johnson calmly stepped to the line and drilled the free throw to put Henderson in front 80-79. Needing just one stop the Reddies got it by the skin of their teeth, as R.J. Glasper's runner in the lane was long and his follow came after the buzzer, giving HSU a thrilling come-from-behind win on the road.

Henderson had four players in double figures and was led by Johnson who had 19 points, five of which came in the final 30 seconds. Anthony Lupardus added 15 points, while Mike Fofana had 14 and Raekwon Rogers finished with 11 and a team-high six rebounds. The Reddies' bench out-scored Tech 48-17 in the win and HSU won the battle on the glass 44-43. Henderson turned the ball over just six times all game.

The Reddies next game is Tuesday, Dec. 4 at 8 p.m. when they take on Oklahoma Panhandle State in the Duke Wells Center.