Box Score (html)
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – SWOSU outscored Henderson State 15-0 over the final six minutes of the first half and never looked back, defeating the Reddies 73-60 on Thursday evening at the Duke Wells Center in Great American Conference action.
The Reddies got within four in the second half with just under nine minutes remaining, but SWOSU senior
Trent Washington hit a big three-pointer to lift the lead back to seven, 51-44, and a quick 10-2 run put the Bulldogs back up by 12 with 7:17 to play.
SWOSU snapped a two-game slide, largely in part to the play of
Martell Collins, who notched his eighth double-double of the season with career-highs of 25 points and 13 rebounds in the effort. Collins hit 9-of-14 field attempts, including 6-of-9 free throws and tied his season high with four offensive rebounds to pace the Dawgs.
Kenyan Borders finished with 16 points and eight rebounds while Washington chipped in 12 points off the bench.
"I thought collectively we guarded pretty well, which was our number one key in winning tonight," SWOSU Head Coach
Bob Battisti noted following the contest. "We also made some shots, although not a lot of threes, and did a good job of attacking and finishing at the rim. This was a win we needed and I thought Martell stepped up and Kenyan and Trent hit some big shots that we needed. A lot of guys chipped in and played well tonight and we deserved to win."
The Bulldogs have now scored 73 points – their most in a conference game this season – in back-to-back games and shot 48.1% (26-54) in the victory despite hitting just 5-of-24 (20.8%) from long range. SWOSU also dominated the backboard, outrebounding HSU 45-33, enabling them to win comfortably despite committing 13 turnovers, their most in a conference game this season.
The victory was crucial for the Bulldogs, who snapped a two-game conference slide and improved to 9-6 on the year and, more importantly, 3-5 in GAC play. The road action continues for SWOSU, as they head further into Arkansas to face Arkansas-Monticello on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 pm.
