By Brian Ramsey
OBU Sports Information

ARKADELPHIA – Claudia Vanzant made a layup as time expired to give the Ouachita Baptist University women’s basketball team a 73-71 victory over Henderson State on Monday inside Bill Vining Arena.

The Reddies (13-9, 8-8 GAC) tied the game on a free-throw with 8.1 seconds remaining. With no timeouts remaining for either team, Ouachita (8-12, 6-10 GAC) had to go the length of the court for the game-winning attempt. Aspen Thornton brought the ball up the court, and with 29 points already in the game, the Reddies were defending her as if she would take the shot. However, the double-team left Vanzant open underneath the basket for the game-winning shot.

Monday’s game was an instant classic in the Battle of the Ravine basketball rivalry. There were seven lead changes and seven tie scores with neither team leading by more than eight. HSU held that eight-point lead with 5:45 remaining in the first period. The biggest lead for the Tigers was six early in the second period.

In addition to Thornton’s game-high 29 points, Makayla Miller had 15, and Vanzant finished with 13. Jessi Bennett just missed out on double-digits, going 3-for-3 on three-pointers for nine points. Vanzant added 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. Seven of Vanzant’s 13 points came in the final three minutes.

The Tigers have an opportunity to better their positioning in the Great American Conference standings with two more games at home this week. Up next is Northwestern Oklahoma State on Thursday starting at 5:30 p.m. at Vining Arena.

FINAL STATS: https://bit.ly/3Lgcdwk