Box Score MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Southern Arkansas' furious second half rally fell just short as Henderson State eked out a 62-59 win in Great American Conference play Saturday at the W.T. Watson Athletic Center.
 
Trailing by their largest deficit of the game of 19 points (42-23) at 16:26 in the second half, the Lady Muleriders (0-7, 0-4 GAC) rattled off a 34-14 run over the next 14 minutes for a 57-56 edge with 2:05 remaining in the game.  Sophomore guard Katherine McBride's (Lucas, Texas) lay-up and free throw off a foul put SAU in front for the first time since a 2-0 lead to start the game.
 
Destiny Smith, who scored a game-high 16 points, then put the Lady Reddies (5-2, 3-1 GAC) back in front with a pair of free throws at 1:50.  Sophomore guard Kathryn Odom's (Allen, Texas) lay-up at 1:35 pushed Southern Arkansas up 59-58, but Smith, who tallied the last six HSU points, dropped in a lay-up and hit two more free throws to seal the win.
 
Smith hit 10 of 12 free throws en route to her 16 points and also pulled down eight rebounds.  Krystal Beachum added 14 points and six rebounds for Henderson State.
 
McBride scored 13 points for the Lady Muleriders.  Sophomore guard Bria Snowden (El Dorado) added 11 points, and freshman center Tori Nichols (Houston, Miss.) recorded her second consecutive double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
 
SAU scored the first two points of the game, but the Lady Reddies then ran off nine unanswered and eventually stretched its first half lead to 37-19, before settling for a 38-21 advantage at halftime.
 
After shooting a dismal 29.6 percent on 8 of 27 in the first half, SAU warmed up to 57.1 percent on 16 of 28 in the second frame in making its run.  They also put the defensive clamps on the Lady Reddies in the second half, limiting them to just 25 percent on 7 of 28 after hitting at 40.5 percent on 15 of 37 in the first half.
 
Southern Arkansas finished at 43.6 percent on 24 of 55, while HSU shot 33.8 percent on 22 of 65.  Henderson State's difference was at the foul line, connecting on 16 of 32, while the Lady Muleriders were just 5 of 12.
 
The Lady Reddies also used a 48-34 rebound margin to their advantage, outscoring SAU 34-26 inside.  Shareka Maner matched Smith with eight rebounds.  Freshman center Jordan Redmond (Liberty Hill, Texas) grabbed eight for Southern Arkansas.
 
The Lady Muleriders are off until December 18 when they travel to Conway for a non-conference tilt with Division I Central Arkansas in a 7 p.m. tip-off.