Setting the Stage
After snapping a two-game skid on Thursday against Henderson State, the Southwestern Oklahoma State University women's basketball team will look to close out Rankin Williams Fieldhouse with consecutive wins when they host Ouachita Baptist on Saturday afternoon. The game will mark the final regular season played by the Lady Bulldogs at the historic venue.
Ouachita Baptist sits near the bottom of the Great American Conference and they are coming off back-to-back losses, including a 73-56 defeat at Northwestern Oklahoma State on Thursday night. SWOSU swept the season series against the Tigers last season after the two teams split their meetings during the 2011-12 season.
The Coaches
Kelsi Musick is in her fifth season leading the SWOSU women's basketball program. She has improved the teams win total in all four seasons she's been at SWOSU, taking the team from three wins her first season to 25 in her fourth year and she is the two-time defending Great American Conference Coach of the Year. Musick's career record at SWOSU is 65-59 and she is 4-1 against Ouachita Baptist.
Garry Crowder is in his 18th season as the head coach of the women's basketball team at Ouachita Baptist. In his time at OBU, he has become one of the most successful women's college coaches in Arkansas and his record of 276-207 is the all-time best mark in school history.
Last Time Out
The Southwestern Oklahoma State University women's basketball team snapped a two-game losing skid and pushed their record back above the .500 mark with a 90-82 win over Henderson State on Thursday night at Rankin Williams Fieldhouse.
SWOSU held the GAC's leading scorer Aungelique Sledge below her season average of 22.6 points and they limited the Lady Reddies to 32.5% (27-of-83) shooting from the field. Krystal Beechum and Dulincia Keener each stepped in and recorded double-doubles for HSU, who SWOSU defeated despite allowing 26 offensive rebounds.
In her return to the lineup,
Taryn Sayama came off the bench to score 20 points in 16 minutes of action.
Michelle Fisher struggled from the field, hitting just 6-of-20 field goal attempts, but still managed to score 18 points after connecting on 6-of-9 free throws.
Sarina Sayama and
Sarah Mendoza also contributed offensively, scoring 17 and 12 points, respectively.
The Lady Bulldogs struggled to rebound the ball early in the game and faced a significant deficit on the boards until
Jaimee Cohen came into the game. Cohen grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds in the first half and finished with 13 for the game, tying the most by a SWOSU player in a game this season.
Jessica Penner was also steady in the post, finishing 4-for-4 from the field for eight points and grabbing 12 rebounds.
Last Time vs Ouachita Baptist (February 23, 2013)
Eleven players scored, and seven connected on a three pointer, as Southwestern Oklahoma State University picked up their 20th win on Saturday, an 88-62 victory over Ouachita Baptist.
Michelle Fisher led the charge, scoring 28 points on 10-for-21 shooting, including 6-for-13 from beyond the arc. It was the fourth time this season that Fisher scored 28 points, with all coming in Great American Conference play.
As a team, SWOSU connected on 16-of-39 (41.0%) three-point attempts and they hit more shots from beyond the arc (16) than inside (12). On the flip side, the SWOSU defense held Ouachita Baptist to 35.6% (21-of-59) shooting from the field and 25.0% (6-of-24) from long range.
Elizabeth Lay recorded her second double-double of the season, scoring 12 points and grabbing a season-high 12 rebounds in only 13 minutes of action.
SaRaya Oyler was the only other player for SWOSU in double figures with 10 while eight other players got in the scoring column of the box score.
Checking the Standings
A much-needed victory on Thursday night pulled the Lady Dawgs into a tie for third place in the Great American Conference with Henderson State at 4-3. The two teams are both one game back of Southeastern Oklahoma State while the entire conference continues to look up at unbeaten and No.6-ranked Harding, who is 16-0 (8-0 GAC) on the year. Saturday's opponent, Ouachita Baptist, is coming off a loss on Thursday at Northwestern Oklahoma State and the Tigers are currently tied for 10th place in the GAC with Arkansas-Monticello as both teams are sporting 1-6 conference marks.
Farewell to Rankin
While the SWOSU Classic back in November was billed as our 'Farewell to Rankin,' Saturday afternoon's doubleheader against Ouachita Baptist will be the final home games for the Bulldog basketball teams inside of Rankin Williams Fieldhouse.
Rankin Williams Fieldhouse has been the home of SWOSU basketball since 1957, seeing many conference championships and five Lady Bulldog NAIA National Championship teams. The Fieldhouse is named for J. Rankin Williams, the winningest men's basketball coach in Southwestern Oklahoma State University history. Williams coached the Bulldogs for 36 seasons between 1927 and 1964, winning 524 career games.
In 1975, the SWOSU Health and Physical Education Building was named for Williams by the Board of Regents of Oklahoma Colleges. In 2007, the court was named in honor of SWOSU legend and current Associate Athletic Director
Kelli Litsch, a former four-time NAIA All-American and three-time winner of the NAIA National Tournament MVP.
The new Pioneer Cellular Event Center will take the place of Rankin, starting with the West Central Basketball Tournament that starts next Monday, January 20. The SWOSU men's and women's basketball teams will play their opening games in the Pioneer Center next Saturday, January 25, when Northwestern Oklahoma State comes to Weatherford for a 5:30 and 7:30 pm doubleheader.
Scouting the Opponent
Ouachita Baptist has dropped two straight games, falling to 3-10 on the year and 1-6 in conference action. The Tigers played a daunting non-conference schedule and have come away with victories over Arkansas-Fort Smith and Arkansas Tech. Offensively, the Tigers have been challenged, averaging just 65.2 points per game while allowing opponents to score just over 70 points per contest.
Nashia James is the top offensive threat for OBU, leading the Tigers with an average of 15.1 points per game on the year, a mark which has risen to 16.1 ppg during conference play. James has been the Tigers leading scorer in 10-of-13 games played this season, scoring a season-high 21 points against Arkansas Tech last weekend.
Quick Hits
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Jessica Penner was just two points shy of her second double-double this season against Henderson State, finishing with eight points and 12 rebounds. She is averaging 7.0 points and 12.5 rebounds per game over the past two games
- Lady Bulldogs have been outrebounded in 10-of-13 games this season. The only conference team they outrebounded was Arkansas-Monticello (43-to-41)
- SWOSU currently ranks sixth nationally with a scoring average of 84.8 points per game
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Jaimee Cohen grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds against Henderson State on Thursday, including 11 in just 10 minutes of first-half action
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Taryn Sayama has scored in double figures in the last five games she's appeared, including 20-plus point performances in two of her last three outings
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Michelle Fisher ranks 3rd in the GAC with a scoring average of 17.9 points per game
- SWOSU will be looking for their third consecutive victory over Ouachita Baptist
Looking Ahead
The Lady Bulldogs venture to Bethany on Thursday to face Southern Nazarene before returning home to open up the Pioneer Cellular Event Center next Saturday against Northwestern Oklahoma State.
