ARKADELPHIA, Ark. –
Deondre Dunn scored 19 points in the second half to help Southeastern come from behind to defeat Henderson State 74-70 for its first win in Arkadelphia since 2019.
The Savage Storm (2-5, 1-0 GAC) was red-hot shooting the ball in the second half, converting 61.5 percent from the field, and was 5-10 from deep. SE finished the game shooting 51.9 percent from the floor and 40.0 percent at the three-point line, while pulling down 29 rebounds.
Dunn led all scorers with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting and paced the team with eight rebounds.
Santiago Camacho Gomez chipped in 16 points and seven rebounds, while forcing a game-high four steals.
Jamal Drewery recorded his second double-double of the season, passing around 11 assists and recording 10 points, and
Chandler Dickinson would end the game with 14 points.
A slow start for the blue and gold allowed the Reddies to open the first half with a 7-0 lead three minutes into the game. Gomez began to get the offense going, as the guard connected on a pair of baskets, including a three-pointer, to help slice the deficit to three, 10-7. HSU controlled the next minute of play to extend its lead before Gomez found the basket again, and was quickly followed by a triple from
Ethan Scott, down 18-14.
From there, the two sides trade baskets over the next four minutes with Henderson State holding a five-point edge, 29-24. SE soon fell behind by double-digits as a run of points for the Reddies stretched their advantage to 36-26. SE closed out the final minute of the first half with a Dickinson three-pointer and a three-point play by Drewery, as Southeastern trailed 41-32 at the break.
Southeastern quickly found its range from deep to begin the second half, with Gomez and Dunn knocking down back-to-back triples to cut into the Reddies' lead. Dunn continued to find the basket and combined with Dickinson for two more treys to make it a two-point game. HSU replied with a flurry of scores to extend its lead back to eight points before the blue and gold rattled off nine straight points to grab its first lead of the game at the 9:14 mark, 61-60.
Henderson State answered back with a pair of scores to flip the lead, but baskets from
Ethan Wilkerson, Dunn and Dickinson tied the game 70-all with 3:25 remaining. Needing a stop, the Southeastern defense tightened down to hold the Reddies scoreless for the final five minutes of the game, allowing the blue and gold to close out the game with a 74-70 victory.
Southeastern (2-5, 1-0 GAC) continues its stay in Arkadelphia, as it heads across the highway on Saturday to take on Ouachita Baptist at 3 p.m. inside the Bill Vining Arena.
