Box Score
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Southeastern saw its recent struggles continued on Thursday night as Henderson State handed SE its third-straight loss, 78-61, in the Great American Conference opener in Arkadelphia, Ark.
The loss dropped the Savage Storm to 4-3 on the season and 0-1 to open conference play heading into Saturday's 4 p.m. matchup with Ouachita Baptist.
SE struggled from the field on the night, hitting 38.6 percent from the field and was never able to find its shot from long distant, hitting 3-of-16 from three-point range.
Andris Misters led the way with 15 points, while
Mateus Oliveira added 14 and
Chris Roussell pitched in 11.
Oliveira rounded out a double-double with a game-high 10 rebounds, while Misters dished out a team-best three assists.
“We didn't do a good job of screening,” said head coach
Kelly Green following the loss. “They fought through them and they were more physical and quicker to the ball than we were.”
“We're slow in getting places,” he continued when asked about the first-half foul differential, “And when you're late getting in front of people you're going to pick up fouls.”
“We had way too many turnovers,” said Green. “We didn't take care of the basketball. We didn't look good tonight.”
SE had an advantage in second chance points and the teams were even in both points off turnovers as well as points in the paint, but HSU made up the difference in points off the bench and added 10 three pointers.
The final score was not indicative of how the majority of the first half went as the teams traded buckets for most of the half with the Reddies sneaking out a lead as large as six points before the Storm reeled them in and knotted the score at 31-31 with 2:04 to play in the half.
HSU, however, would then reel off a 7-0 run to end the half and take a 38-31 lead into the locker room.
The Reddies would pick up where they left off to start the second half, running off a 9-0 run to open the half and mount a 16 point lead at 47-31 with 17:36 to play.
The Storm would stop the bleeding, but could do little more than trade buckets until HSU used another run to push its lead out to 25 points before a 12-3 run by SE cut the deficit back down to 68-52.
That was as close as the game would get as HSU would push its lead back out beyond 20 points until the final seconds when a pair of
James Harris free throws and a Misters layup would fashion the final of 78-61.
