GAC Freshman of the Year Rondae Hill had the early hot hand as he made four 3-pointers in the opening 10 minutes. A Rece Hipp 3-pointer gave the Reddies (17-12) a 30-9 lead. The Bison (18-11) drew as close as eight, 40-32, before Hill closed the half with a deep 3-pointer, his sixth of the period.
The second half saw the Bison continue to chip away at the lead. Terry Coner, Jr. scored 14 of his team-high 20 in the second half. They pulled to within three points, 63-60, but never drew even.
After relying on the 3–point shot in the first half, Henderson State turned to the inside play of Nehikhare Igiehon in the second. He made 7-of-10 shots and scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half. Hill converted four free throws in the final minute to finish with a game-high 25 points. The Reddies outrebounded the Bison, 37-26
The Reddies secured a trip to the GAC Championship semifinals for the fifth time in the last seven years. They face top-seeded Southern Nazarene at 5:45 p.m. on Saturday. Henderson State split its regular-season meetings with the Crimson Storm. Following a road loss on January 16, the Reddies acclaimed an 86-82 win in Arkadelphia on February 23.
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