Clarksville, Ark. - Hendrix is finally off the mark in the 2025-26 season after their 69-62 win over the University of the Ozarks on Friday evening at Mabee Gymnasium.
The Warriors (1-9, 1-0 SCAC) competed in their first league contest in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference since 2013, and
Kyle Roach marked the occasion with a career-high 25 points to lead
Anthony Boone's squad to a 1-0 start in league play.
The win snapped a 28-game losing streak that dated back to last season, and was the first conference win since February 11, 2024.
Hendrix opened the contest on an 11-5 run, and
Joseph Dockett's triple put Hendrix up 19-12 midway through the half. From there, the Eagles went on a run of their own, scoring 11 unanswered points to take a 23-19 lead. Ozarks continued their resurgence and, after Hendrix cut the lead to four with the score at 27-23, the hosts closed the half on a 9-3 run to take a 12-point lead into halftime.
The second half belonged entirely to Hendrix as the Warriors outscored Ozarks 43-24 over the final 20 minutes. After facing their largest deficit of the night with the score at 40-26, the Warriors went on a 20-5 scoring run to take their first lead since early in the first half. The two teams traded buckets as the half winded down, and the Eagles retook the lead on a three-ball with 2:45 remaining. But the Warriors benefited from the home team's foul trouble down the stretch by converting 12 times from the line to close the game on a 12-4 run and clinch their first win of the season.
Roach finished the evening 5-of-15 from the field and 3-of-6 from behind the arc.
Holden Plant recorded 13 points and 5 boards, and Dockett and
Jaxon Herrera each finished with 10 points.
Charles Hatchett and
Eli Lovelady each grabbed 7 boards.
The Warriors were out-rebounded 45-36 but shot 34.6% from 3PT, knocking down 9 of their 24 attempt while only scoring 10 points in the paint. Hendrix won the game in part due to its tenacious defense, turning over Ozarks 18 times to finish with a +9 turnover margin.
Hendrix will now return to Conway to host Ozarks on Sunday for a 1:00 p.m. tip-off at Grove Gymnasium.
