Reddies Too Much for Wonder Boys

All five Henderson State University starters reached double figures in scoring on Thursday night and the Reddies took down Arkansas Tech University 106-96 in Great American Conference men’s basketball at the Duke Wells Center in Arkadelphia.

HSU (7-6 overall, 2-5 GAC) finished with a 28-12 edge in second-chance points as it snapped a three-game losing streak against the Wonder Boys (10-3, 4-3).

“They wanted to win more,” said Chad Kline, ATU head coach. “We can talk about winning all we want to, but if you give up two or three shots per possession, you’re going to get beat. When you score 96 points on the road, you should win.”

Henderson State made 11 of its first 15 field goal tries and built a 26-15 lead with 13:29 to go in the first half.

Arkansas Tech came back behind its 3-point shooting. The Wonder Boys made 10 first-half treys, including a buzzer beater by Freddy Lee that cut the Reddies’ advantage to 53-51 at halftime.

Henderson State used a 14-2 spurt over a span of less than four minutes to open a 90-77 lead with 6:07 left. Arkansas Tech got back within 93-88 on a layup by R.J. Glasper with 3:46 remaining. The Reddies responded with six straight points and the outcome was never again in doubt.

Kaylon Tappin paced Henderson State with 25 points.

Alex Brown and Harris Brown notched 20 points apiece to lead Arkansas Tech. Lee dished out five assists, giving him 303 for his career and making him the ninth Wonder Boy to reach 300 career assists.

The Wonder Boys will welcome Southern Arkansas University to Tucker Coliseum in Russellville for a 3 p.m. GAC contest on Saturday, Jan. 13.

In recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Arkansas Tech will host a “MLK Day of Remembrance” during Saturday’s game. Fans are encouraged to bring canned goods to donate to River Valley Food 4 Kids, and fans can receive half-off admission to the game by donating two canned-good items.