SEARCY, Ark. — Henderson State got a career-high 20 points from sophomore Maci Mains and stifling team defense to notch a season-opening win over Missouri Southern 79-70.

The Reddies' (1-0) defensive effort was led by senior Hailey Estes, who collected a career-high six steals while helping HSU force the Lions into 29 turnovers as a team. HSU was also excellent from the line on Friday afternoon and finished the contest 26-for-32 from the stripe, good for 81.3%.

Blu Jones was the only other Reddie to reach double figures and scored 10 of her 14 points in the fourth quarter. Pink Jones added nine points and a team-high four assists, while Karrington Whaley tallied nine points and seven rebounds.

The Reddies were bolstered by efficient scoring from freshman Ashley Farrar and senior Brooke Lewis. Farrar scored seven points on 3-for-4 shooting in just eight minutes, while Lewis added four points on a perfect 2-for-2 shooting from the floor in nine minutes of action.

Henderson will wrap up its opening weekend of action tomorrow with a matchup against Emporia State at 12 p.m.

1st Quarter

The Reddies set the defensive tempo early and allowed just five points before the first media timeout as Lani Snowden's first 3-pointer of the season gave HSU a 15-5 lead through six minutes. Despite the slow start, the Lions clawed back with an 11-2 run which cut Henderson's lead to one, 17-16. The Reddies held firm and stayed in front as the quarter wound to a close, getting back-to-back jumpers from Blu Jones and Mains in the final forty seconds to take a 21-16 lead into the second quarter.

2nd Quarter

Neither team could find an edge in the second period of play as the Reddies and Lions traded buckets for the first five minutes as HSU maintained a five-point lead, 27-22. After the media timeout, Henderson's senior forward Lewis got feeds from Farrar and Estes on back-to-back possessions to score four quick points and jumpstart a 9-1 Reddies run that gave HSU its biggest lead, 36-23. Henderson ended the half on a high note when Estes nailed a 3-pointer as time expired to give the Reddies a 42-27 lead going into break.

3rd Quarter

After the intermission, the Reddies had trouble restarting their offense in the third quarter and did not get their first field goal until the 6:33 mark when a layup from Mains broke the seal. Unfortunately for the Lions, Henderson's defensive pressure did not dissipate as the Reddies pushed the lead to 17 with a Whaley layup that gave HSU its biggest cushion of the game, 51-34. Just before the contest got out of Missouri Southern's reach, the Lions ended the third quarter on an 11-3 run which trimmed the score to single digits, 54-45 heading into the fourth quarter.

4th Quarter

Two of Mains' 10 made free throws briefly returned the Reddies' lead to double-digits in the final frame, but a 7-0 run by Missouri Southern, that took just over one minute, closed the gap to four, 56-52. Following a defensive stand and desperately needing a bucket, Mains found Blu Jones for a 3-pointer on the fast break that sparked a 13-4 run which gave HSU a comfortable 69-56 lead with less than five minutes to play. The Lions got within single digits, but the Reddies were a perfect 13-for-13 from the free throw line in the final period to help them secure their first win of the season, 79-70.