ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Henderson State returns to the Duke Wells Center on Thursday to host GAC foe Northwestern Oklahoma State at 5:30 p.m.
REDDIES REPORT
Last time out, HSU(6-6, 3-3) fell to Southern Nazarene 63-47 inside the Sawyer Center. Little separated the two sides through the first two periods, with SNU leading 27-23 heading into halftime. After the break, a big second half by the Crimson Storm saw them pull away to a victory. Henderson finished the game shooting 26.8 percent from the floor, while Southern Nazarene shot 44.8 percent.
Sonni Martin led the team with a season-high 18 points against the Crimson Storm. The redshirt junior was 4-7 from deep, including a half-court shot made as the clock expired in the first period. JJ Eddens and Abbie Jiles each recorded a team-high six rebounds while scoring four and nine points, respectively.
Jill Thomas‘s team will face the number one scoring defense in the GAC against Northwestern Oklahoma State. This season the Reddies are averaging 67.2 points a game compared to NWOSU, who is only giving up 55.9 points per game. When Henderson has scored 70 or more points this season, the team is 4-0, including three conference victories, but when held to less, HSU is 2-6.
Through 12 games, the Reddies are shooting 36.5 percent from the field and 32.3 percent from the three-point line. Henderson is one of the more aggressive three-point shooting teams in the GAC, having attempted the third most shots from deep in the conference. When the Reddies have found success, they have hit big from deep, averaging 8.6 triples a game in their six wins.
In Thursday’s matchup, Henderson and Northwestern Oklahoma State will take the court for the 19th time. The Reddies have won seven straight home games over the Lady Rangers and lead the all-time series 11-7. The only loss HSU has to NWOSU inside the Duke Wells Center was a 99-97 defeat in the 2013-14 season. In the previous contest, HSU came away with an 87-78 victory over the Lady Rangers.
SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE
The Lady Rangers faced Southern Arkansas and Arkansas-Monticello in their last round of matches. Northwestern Oklahoma State fell to the Muleriders 68-62 but returned to winning ways against the Blossoms, 59-52. After the two games, NWOSU sits 3-3 in GAC action with a 7-3 overall record.
Camille Thomas led the way for the Lady Rangers in the two games, scoring 25 points against SAU and 26 versus UAM. Thomas is shooting 61 percent from the floor this season on 82 attempts, which is second-best in the league. Northwestern Oklahoma State’s top shooter Faith Simpson is averaging 17.6 points a game and is one of four players averaging double-digit points.
NWOSU’s Carly Craig has picked out the open shooters all season for Lady Rangers, as the sophomore is averaging a league-high six assists per game. Along with providing the assists, Craig is third on the team in scoring (10.8) and second in steals (2.6).
WBB-D2: Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers (7-3) at Henderson State Reddies (6-6)
