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Henderson State (6-8, 2-4 GAC) at SWOSU (8-4, 5-1 GAC) Thursday, January 16, 7:30 pm Weatherford, Okla. (Rankin Williams Fieldhouse) Live Stats  |  Watch Live  |  Listen Live Social Media (@SWOSUAthletics) SWOSU Game Notes

Setting the Stage
      Alone in first place on the Great American Conference leaderboard and at home for five of their next six games, the Southwestern Oklahoma State University men's basketball team will host Henderson State on Thursday evening at Rankin Williams Fieldhouse. The game will be the first of two home games this weekend, marking the final home games at Rankin before the Bulldogs move over to the new Pioneer Cellular Event Center.
      The opponent for the Bulldogs, Henderson State, is 6-8 on the year with a 2-4 conference mark. The Reddies have lost back-to-back games after getting swept by Harding and Arkansas Tech last weekend.
 
The Coaches
      Bob Battisti is the 14th head men's basketball coach in SWOSU history and in his first season on the Bulldogs sidelines. He most recently spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Oklahoma Christian University where he helped the program its first postseason basketball title in 30 years. Prior to his stint at OCU, Battisti spent 25 years at Northwestern Oklahoma State, coaching the men's basketball team for 21 seasons before taking over as the school's athletic director for four years. In more than 24 years as a head coach, Battisti has a career record of 417-300.
      Doug Nichols is in his third season as the head coach at Henderson State following one season as the top assistant at fellow GAC member Arkansas Tech. He has led the Reddies to a 38-32 in the past two-plus seasons.
 
Last Time Out
      Most teams won't win a conference road game when hitting just four second-half field goals and shooting 24.1% for the game. The SWOSU men's basketball team isn't most teams.
      The Bulldogs earned their third straight victory and improved to 6-0 on the road by grinding out a 55-43 win against East Central on Saturday afternoon in Ada. The win improves SWOSU to 8-4 on the year and 5-1 in Great American Conference play and keeps the Bulldogs atop the GAC standings as the only team with one conference loss.
      Trent Washington scored nine straight points in the second half – after the Bulldogs missed their first 10 attempts of the half – to give SWOSU a 35-27 lead with 12:32 to play. Good time management and superb free throw shooting (20-of-27 in the second half, 23-of-33 for the game) helped the Bulldogs thwart any rally posed by the Tigers, despite connecting on just 4-of-26 (15.4%) field goals in the second half.
      For the game, Coach Bob Battisti's squad hit just 13-of-54 (24.1%) field goals and 6-of-23 (26.1%) three pointers while also being outrebounded by East Central 44-to-37. Washington finished with 15 points and Kenyan Borders added 11 in the winning effort.
 
Last Time vs. Henderson State (February 21, 2013)
      After scoring a season-high 90 points against Henderson State earlier this season, the Southwestern Oklahoma State University men's basketball team was in danger of a season-low on Thursday night against the Reddies, falling by a score of 59-55.
      SWOSU was cold from the field in the second half, scoring just 24 points in the first 19 minutes and building a 53-44 deficit in the game's final minute. Seven consecutive points by Rod Camphor helped SWOSU cut into the lead and Marin Zelalija knocked down a three pointer with 17 seconds remaining to get within two at 57-55.
      On the ensuing Henderson State possession, Kenyan Borders knocked the ball away from a Reddie allowing SWOSU a chance to tie or take the lead. However, the excitement in Rankin Williams Fieldhouse got to Dominick Cornelius, who was whistled for travelling, giving the ball back to HSU. The Reddies knocked down two free throws and SWOSU was unable to get off a shot on their final possession allowing Henderson State to escape Weatherford with the victory.
      Camphor led SWOSU with 14 points and six rebounds, while Zelalija had 12 and Mike Bradley added 10. The Bulldogs dropped their third straight game, dropping them to 9-15 on the year and 8-10 in Great American Conference play.
 
Checking the Standings
      With three straight wins, SWOSU has improved to 5-1 in Great American Conference play and they remain the only team with just one conference loss. The Bulldogs (5-1 GAC) are one-half game ahead of Southern Nazarene and a full game ahead of both Arkansas-Monticello and Arkansas Tech. Henderson State is tied for seventh in the standings with Southern Arkansas at 2-4.
 
Taking Care of It
      After committing seven turnovers against East Central on Saturday, SWOSU has now turned the ball over 10 times or fewer in four of the last five games. With 114 total turnovers in  12 games this season, SWOSU ranks eighth nationally with 9.5 turnovers per game. The Bulldogs were forced into 15 turnovers in the season opener against Midwestern State and since have not committed more than 11 turnovers in any game.    
 
Scouting the Opponent
      Henderson State opened the season 3-0 with non-conference victories against Southwest Baptist, Lincoln and Rogers State before they endured five losses in their next six games to go below the .500 mark. The Reddies are just 2-4 in GAC action, but their victories have come against two teams -- Southern Nazarene & East Central -- that are near the top of the standings.
      The Reddies balanced offensive attack which is averaging 75.1 points per game has six players averaging 9.0 points per game or more, led by Deoirvay Johnson at 15.1. Melvin Haynes, Taylor Smith and Ronald Lawson all average in double figures for HSU, a team that leads the GAC in 3-point percentage at 40.8% (117-of-287).
 
Pioneer Cellular Event Center Update
      It was announced on December 20 that the first event in the new Pioneer Cellular Event Center on the campus of Southwestern Oklahoma State University will be January 20 when the West Central Basketball Tournament takes place throughout the week on the Weatherford campus.
      SWOSU's men's and women's basketball teams will play their opening games in the Pioneer Cellular Event Center on Saturday, January 25, when Northwestern Oklahoma State University comes to Weatherford for a 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. doubleheader.
 
Quick Hits
- Kenyan Borders has hit a three-pointer in five consecutive games and multiple three's in each of the last three games
- Trent Washington is averaging 15.0 points per game coming off the bench in the past three games
- SWOSU has the top scoring defense in the GAC, allowing 66.7 points per game
- Rod Camphor was held to a season-low nine points at East Central, ending an 11-game streak of scoring in double figures
- Jordan Franz is 5-for-10 (50.0%) from 3-point range since joining the starting lineup three games ago
 
Looking Ahead
     The second half of the weekend homestand brings Ouachita Baptist to Weatherford on Saturday. The Dawgs visit Southern Nazarene and host Northwestern next week.