WBB-D2: Henderson State Reddies (9-7) at Ouachita Baptist Tigers (6-8)

Henderson State will cross the highway Monday, Jan. 23 to face rivals Ouachita Baptist in the first installment of the Battle of the Ravine. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. inside the Bill Vining Arena.
 
REDDIES REPORT
Last time out, Henderson got its sixth GAC win with a victory over Arkansas-Monticello 72-63. Ashley Farrar paced the team with 30 points and 11 rebounds, while Abbie Jiles set a new career-high with 13 rebounds.   
 
Farrar this season is averaging a league-high 20.3 points a game and has scored 324 points. The Green Forest, Ark. native now sits tenth on the all-time HSU scoring leaderboard with 1142 career points with 12 games remaining. Farrar is on pace to score 564 points this year, which would see her crack the top five in the single-season points total.
 
HSU ranks eighth in scoring defense in the GAC, giving up 67.8 points a game. However, in Henderson’s last four games, they have given up 65 points or less in each contest. While the defense has clamped down, the offense continues to find its magic number of 70 points. When the team has reached 70 on the scoreboard this season, they are 7-0.
 
Henderson has struggled on the road at times this season. The Reddies are 2-4 when they are the away team and have lost three straight road contests after getting wins at Arkansas-Monticello and Arkansas Tech. HSU is averaging 63.3 points on the road and shooting 35.3 percent from the field.
 
The Reddies and Tigers meet for the 89^th time on Monday, with Henderson leading the head-to-head series 48-40. Despite HSU’s recent success over its rivals, Ouachita Baptist has won two of the three most recent meetings. The last time the two sides met, the Tigers scored as the clock hit zero to grab a late victory over the Reddies 73-71.  
 
SCOUTING OUACHITA BAPTIST
OUA (6-8, 3-7) fell to Arkansas Tech in a closely contested match on the road, 64-62. The Tigers snapped a three-game losing streak early this season with two wins over Northwestern and Southwestern Oklahoma State. Since then, Ouachita Baptist has lost its last two contests by single-digit scoring margins, falling to Harding and ATU.
 
The Tigers boast one of the premier offenses in the GAC as the team ranks third in scoring, averaging 71.9 points a game. OUA has three players averaging double-digit scoring figures a game, led by Makayla Miller, who is averaging 13.7 points per game and shooting 51.3 percent from the field. In addition to being the team’s top scorer, Miller also leads the team in assists with 67.
 
Ouachita Baptist has found success from beyond the arc this season, as the team shoots a league-high 36.7 percent. Laney Mears is the Tiger’s sharpshooter, converting 41.8 percent of her shots from the three-point line.