SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist and Henderson State have already met twice this season, and the two regular-season games were decided by a total of four points. Now, the fourth-seeded Bison and fifth-seeded Reddies will meet again in the Great American Conference Tournament's quarterfinal round on March 7 at 5:45 p.m.
This is the second meeting between the schools in the conference tourney. Previously, HSU defeated the Bison 72-61 in Bartlesville on March 8, 2020. The winner of the game on Friday will move on to play either top-seed Southern Nazarene or eighth-seed Arkansas Tech on March 8 at 5:45.
For the Bison, they'll be looking for their first GAC Tournament win since March 3, 2021 while the Reddies are searching for their first since March 3, 2023.
During the regular season, OBU claimed a 75-72 win in Shawnee on Jan. 18 before HSU prevailed 81-80 in Arkadelphia on Feb. 21. In that latter game two weeks ago, the Reddies missed an incredible 21 free throws and still managed to win.
The Bison Sports Network crew of Todd Miller and Scott Wanish will be on site at Fort Smith, Arkansas inside Southside Arena for the call of the game. Below you'll find notes on both teams.
Bison Notes
- During the regular season, OBU finished first in the GAC and 46th nationally in rebounding margin (4.9).
- The Bison were also No. 1 in the league in defensive rebounds (26.93) and total rebounds (37.68) per game.
- Of note, when the Bison won over HSU back in January, they out-rebounded the Reddies 46-38. During the one-point loss in Arkadelphia, each team had 43.
- OBU also posted the third-best three-point percentage (35.6) and second-most free throws made per game (15.0) in the GAC.
- The two biggest causes for concern for the green and gold are three-point defense and turnovers. They allowed 34.6 percent to opponents from deep and had a turnover margin of -0.9. Each of those marks were ninth out of 12 in the GAC.
- Individually, Terry Coner Jr., an All-GAC First Team performer, leads the Bison in scoring at 15.9 per game. That's eighth in the GAC.
- Coner Jr., played in the first Henderson matchup and scored 23 but missed the game in Arkadelphia on Feb. 21.
- Ricky Brown, Daniel Ransom and Ethan Scott each played in both previous games with HSU and all averaged double-figure scoring totals.
- Plus, as a team, the Bison made 39 percent from deep and 77.8 percent from the foul line versus the Reddies.
- For Scott, his 46.0 percent season mark from three is sixth-best in OBU history.
- Junior guard JC Curry has been outstanding at the free throw line in 2024-25. His 81.6 percent clip is sixth-best in the GAC.
- Lastly, keep an eye on senior forward Nathan Wilson. He was left off the All-GAC squad despite being the conference's No. 1 shot blocker (37) and third-best rebounder (7.8).
Coach Jason Eaker's thoughts on Henderson:
"For our entire tenure at OBU, Henderson State has a ferocity, a collective spirit and have played a hard-nosed, winning brand of basketball under the leadership of Jimmy Elgas. It will be a very difficult game to win but as a competitor, you look forward to these types of games."
Reddies Notes
- HSU lost its last two regular-season games to Arkansas Tech and Harding and moved its record to 16-12 overall.
- The Reddies have several top marks within the GAC. They lead the league with 11.82 offensive rebounds per game and rank second in bench points (24.79).
- Henderson is also No. 1 in blocks (3.3) and steals (8.6) per game.
- However, by allowing 74.9 points per game, they rank 10th out of 12 GAC schools.
- Rondae Hill, the GAC Freshman of the Year, was Henderson's biggest threat against the Bison during the regular season. He averaged a team-high 20.5 points per game and collected six steals.
- During the regular season, Hill's 53 three-pointers were a top-12 GAC mark. He did, however, make just 5-of-18 (27.8%) against the Bison.
- Junior forward Nehikhare Igiehon, an All-GAC Second Team member, is another force on the court. He ranked within the top-three of the GAC in four different categories. That included being the top offensive rebounder (2.89) and second-best shooter (57.4) in the league.
- Against the Bison, Igiehon made 52 percent from the field and averaged 18 points and 7.5 rebounds versus OBU.
- Of note, Henderson got to the foul line 11 more times than OBU during the regular season matchups, 56-45. However, they made just 27 of those, a lowly 48.2 percent clip.
