DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern Oklahoma State continues its road slate with a trip to the Natural State to take on Ouachita Baptist and Henderson State.
The Savage Storm meet the Tigers first on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 7:30 p.m. in the Bill Vining Arena before they head across the highway on Saturday to face the Reddies in the Duke Wells Center at 3 p.m.
STORM WATCH
After splitting two road games at East Central and Southern Nazarene, Southeastern is 4-8 in the GAC standings and 6-12 overall. The Storm picked up an 83-79 road win at rivals ECU behind 24 points from
Daniel Halldorsson to start the week, but the nationally ranked Crimson Storm would prove too much, as SE fell 72-60.
Chandler Dickinson, who has now started the last four games for the Storm, posted back-to-back double-digit point games last week. The Rockwall, Texas native began the week with 10 points in the win over East Central and posted a season-high 14 against Southern Nazarene. The redshirt junior forward shot 50.0 percent across the two contests and is converting 42.1 percent from the field this season.
SE continues to lean on its freshman, with Halldorsson and
Ethan Wilkerson having played in all 18 games this season. Halldorsson has started all but one game, while Wilkerson has gotten the start in three games.
Robert Briley is the only player to start and play in every game, and he is averaging the second most minutes per game (28.8) behind Halldorsson (32.6).
Statistically, SE averages 77.9 points per game and shoots the ball at a 46.9 percent clip from the field and a 34.8 percent mark from the three-point line. The Storm rank second at the glass with 36.6 rebounds per game, averaging 11.3 offensive boards and 25.3 defensive rebounds per contest. What has hurt the Storm this season is their scoring defense, as the team ranks 12
th in the conference, giving up 79.1 points per game.
Southeastern won the first meeting with Ouachita Baptist in an 82-80 victory at home. SE extended its win streak to 13 games over the Tigers as the two sides get set for the 28
th matchup. The Storm leads the all-time series 16-11 and will be in search of its seventh consecutive road win over the Tigers. In the first meeting in 2024-25,
DJ Dill posted 25 points and eight rebounds and was a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.
The Storm will look to avenge the first meeting this season with Henderson State, as SE fell just before the final buzzer 74-71. Southeastern has had its troubles with the Reddies, with four defeats in the last five matchups, and trails HSU 22-13 in the head-to-head series. Additionally, the Storm have not won in Arkadelphia over Henderson State since 2019.
PREVIEWING OUACHITA BAPTIST
Southeastern's 13-game win streak over Ouachita Baptist (12-6, 7-5) will be put to the test on Thursday, with the Tigers having won five of their last seven games. OBU split its most recent slate of contests, defeating rivals Henderson State 79-74, but would see a late loss to Harding at home in overtime 89-84, which is just the second defeat at home all season.
The Tigers boast the top-scoring offenses in the GAC that averages 84.4 points per game, led by Hobert Grayson with 24.4 points per contest. Grayson, who ranks second in scoring across the conference, also averages a league-best 11.0 rebounds and has recorded 10 double-doubles on the year, which ranks fifth in Division II. Another Tiger in double-figure points is Shaun Williams, with 18.4 points per game and leads the sides with 43 triples.
Ouachita's scoring success starts with its efficient shooting. The Tigers shoot at a conference-high 50.0 percent mark from the field and convert 40.2 percent at the three-point line, which also paces the GAC.
PREVIEWING HENDERSON STATE
Henderson State has dropped its last four conference games after opening GAC play with seven wins in eight contests. After two recent defeats to Ouachita Baptist and Southern Arkansas, the Reddies hold a 7-5 conference record and are 11-7 overall. Statically, HSU averages 79.0 points per game and shoots at a 48.6 percent clip from the field - both rank in the top three in the league.
Nehikhare Igiehon averages a team-high 13.9 points per game and is one of two players averaging double-digit points a contest. Igiehon also paces the side at the glass with 6.7 rebounds per game and has totaled a team-best 17 blocks. Rondae Hill leads the Reddies in perimeter shooting with 25 triples on the season and is shooting 35.2 percent from beyond the arc. As a unit, HSU shoots 33.4 percent from deep and averages 5.3 treys a game.
