Big Second-Half Run Helps Henderson Cruise Past Oklahoma Panhandle, 97-58
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December 6, 2018
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — After splitting two road games to start the Great American Conference season, Henderson State returned home to the Duke Wells Center on Tuesday night and came away with a 97-58 victory over Oklahoma Panhandle State.
The Reddies (6-2, 1-1) put five players in double-figures, as Kyle Murphy and Jeremiah Toney came off the bench to share the scoring load with 14 points each. Rel Johnson had 13 points, while Eric Dailey and Anthony Lupardus added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Mike Fofana set a Reddies' season-high with 14 rebounds, as Henderson State disrupted the Aggies with its pressure defense, grabbing 16 steals as a team.
The two teams looked evenly matched through the games opening minutes. Although HSU jumped out to an early 6-0 lead, OPSU stormed right back, scoring nine-straight points to lead 9-6 at the first media timeout. HSU regained control after a 7-0 run gave Henderson a 13-9 lead, but once again the Aggies had other plans and retook the lead 15-13 with 11:08 to play in the first half.
Down by a bucket, an effort play by Raekwon Rogers jumpstarted the Reddies, as Rogers grabbed two offensive rebounds before finishing the play himself to tie the score 15-15. The Reddies used that momentum to go on a 20-5 run, highlighted by eight points from Toney, which gave them a comfortable 41-28 lead heading into the break.
Although the Reddies held the Aggies to just 35.5 percent shooting in the first half, HSU ramped up the defensive pressure to another level at the start of the second period. Henderson used seven steals to propel a 32-7 run over the first nine minutes of the second half, which helped HSU break the game open and seize a 73-35 lead. It was all Reddies from there, as they pushed their advantage out to as many as 40 points and cruised to a 97-58 victory.
As a team, the Reddies shot 51.3 percent from the field and out-rebounded the Aggies 45-29. Henderson shot the ball particularly well in the second half, hitting over 54 percent of their shots, including 6-of-12 from 3-point range. Every HSU player who saw action in the contest scored for the Reddies on the night.
The Reddies will play their first conference home game on Dec. 8, when Henderson hosts Harding at 3 p.m.
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