Box Score (html)
WEATHERFORD, Okla. – The SWOSU Basketball team picked up their third consecutive victory and handily dispatched of Henderson State 74-56 on Saturday afternoon, completing a season-sweep of the Reddies and breaking the tie between the two teams in the Great American Conference standings.
The Bulldogs came out focused from the beginning, stepping up to the task of playing in a game with huge postseason ramifications. SWOSU used an 11-0 run midway through the first half to take a 23-11 lead before eventually taking a 20-point lead at 37-17 with 1:43 to play in the half. After HSU cut the deficit to 16 at 37-21, SWOSU scored the final four points of the half, including a buzzer beating coast-to-coast slam dunk from
Emeche Wells that left a Reddie defender on the bad end of a poster.
SWOSU came out of the locker room cold, but never allowed Henderson State to any closer than 14 points after the break. Both teams spent plenty of time at the free throw line in the second half, but the Bulldogs used a 13-3 run spanning four minutes to take a 56-34 lead that would eventually balloon to 25 points before late baskets from the Reddies made the final deficit 18.
Several Bulldogs contributed to the winning effort, but it was the senior duo of
Kenyan Borders and
Trent Washington who most elevated their games for the big game. Borders had his best day scoring the ball since early December, leading the Bulldogs with 18 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field. Washington added 12 points and five assists while also coming up clutch on the defensive end, holding HSU's top 3-point shooter to one made shot from long range.
"Our mental state the first 20 minutes was the best we've experienced all year," SWOSU Coach
Bob Battisti said following the game. "Our guys came out hungry and aggressive and that comes from the leadership of our seniors, who were spectacular. I'm very proud of the way our guys played today and this weekend, earning two victories that we needed."
Richard McCalop added his first double-double in a Bulldog uniform, scoring 13 points while pulling down a game-high 10 rebounds to go along with two steals.
Martell Collins nearly matched McCalop, finishing one rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. Wells quietly filled out his stat sheet nicely with seven points, six rebounds, four assists and two assists in 29 minutes of action.
The victory is the third straight for the Bulldogs, who improve to 14-11 (8-10 GAC) on the year with two games remaining in the regular season. SWOSU has also moved into sole possession of eighth place in the league standings, meaning if the season ended today they would qualify for the GAC Tournament in Bartlesville next month.
SWOSU will play two home games next weekend to conclude the regular season, starting on Thursday with rivalry action as Northwestern Oklahoma State visits the Pioneer Cellular Event Center for a 7:30 pm tipoff.
