SHAWNEE, Okla. – After coming up short in each of its previous 10 appearances at the Great American Conference Women’s Basketball Championships, Henderson State finally reached the pinnacle as the Reddies defeated Southwestern Oklahoma State, 71-55, on Sunday from FireLake Arena to win the program’s first GAC title.
Tournament MVP Ashley Farrar led the way for the Reddies (20-11) as she registered a double-double – 24 points and 10 rebounds. She went 3-for-6 from the 3-point arc. She averaged 18.0 points per game in their three wins.
As a team, the Reddies continued their stellar 3-point shooting at the GAC Championships. They went 9-for-21 against the Lady Bulldogs (15-16) and shot 43.5 percent from beyond the 3-point arc for the tournament. Conversely, SWOSU missed their first 13 3-point tries and finished just 1-for-16 on 3-point attempts.
After surrendering an opening basket to the Lady Bulldogs, the Reddies scored the subsequent five points and never surrendered the lead. They dominated the rebound margin, grabbing 24 more than the Lady Bulldogs, 52-28. Six Reddies grabbed at least five rebounds.
Jadah Pickens and Brynlee Huggins joined Farrar on the All-Tournament Team. Pickens’ heroics came in the semifinals against Southern Nazarene when scored 35 points on 13-of-17 shooting. Huggins made 11 3-pointers across the three games and shot 45.8 percent from the arc.
The Reddies path to their first GAC title required them to defeat Arkansas Tech and Southern Nazarene and the Lady Bulldogs, owners of nine of the league’s 12 all-time championships. They became the sixth women’s program to win the GAC title joining the aforementioned three schools plus Harding and Southeastern Oklahoma State.
SWOSU’s Mason Jones, Hailey Grant and Averi Zinn secured All-Tournament honors for the Lady Bulldogs, who matched the GAC Women’s Championship record by reaching their seventh final. Jones averaged 15.3 points and made 53.3 percent of her 3-point tries. Grant averaged 12.0 points and 8.0 rebounds while Zinn scored a game-high 16 points on Sunday.
Southern Nazarene’s Hannah Giddey and Harding’s Aubrey Isbell rounded out the All-Tournament Team. Giddey averaged 27.0 points. 11.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Isbell averaged 17.0 points per game.
The Reddies captured the GAC’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament and claimed the eighth seed. They earned a fourth meeting with Southern Nazarene – who they defeated on Saturday in the semifinals. Harding secured an at-large spot in the eigh-team Central Region giving the GAC representatives for the second time in conference history
Get Local News!
