Arkansas Tech (6-3, 2-1 GAC) at SWOSU (5-4, 2-1 GAC)
Saturday, January 3, 2:00 pm
Weatherford, Okla. (Rankin Williams Fieldhouse)
Live Stats | Watch Live | Live Audio
|
Setting the Stage
A quick turnaround may be just what the Southwestern Oklahoma State University women's basketball team needs following their worst defeat of the season against No. 12 Harding. The Lady Bulldogs welcome Arkansas Tech, a team receiving votes in the national poll and the top nemesis of SWOSU the past two seasons, to Rankin Williams Fieldhouse on Saturday.
The Golden Suns suffered their first conference defeat on Thursday night, falling to Northwestern Oklahoma State by a score of 70-65, giving the Rangers their first victory of the season. Arkansas Tech, the defending GAC regular season and tournament champions, went 3-0 against SWOSU last season including a 70-66 overtime victory in the tournament championship game.
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 63-57, but Arkansas Tech is the only GAC team she has a losing record against. The Lady Bulldogs are just 1-6 against ATU under Musick.
Dave Wilbers is in his seventh season as the head coach at Arkansas Tech, with a record of 157-39 to date. He has led the Golden Suns to the NCAA Tournament five times in his first six seasons with the school.
Last Time Out
An unblemished and No. 12-ranked Harding squad handed the SWOSU women's basketball team their worse defeat of the season by a score of 95-69 on Thursday afternoon at Rankin Williams Fieldhouse.
The Lady Bulldogs were never able to get on track offensively, knocking down just 6-of-25 (24.0%) of their three point attempts while shooting 33.8% (24-of-71) from the field.
Taryn Sayama and
Michelle Fisher led SWOSU with 23 and 19 points, respectively, but needed a combined 41 shots to do so.
On the flip side, Harding got a monster effort of 31 points and six rebounds from Kristen Celsor, who connected on 14-of-20 field goal attempts. Three other players for Harding scored in double figures and Arielle Saunders pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds, the most by a SWOSU opponent this season.
Last Time vs Arkansas Tech (March 10, 2013)
The two top teams throughout the regular season put on quite an enjoyable Great American Conference tournament championship game on Sunday afternoon in Bartlesville. Unfortunately, Southwestern Oklahoma State University was on the losing end of that game, falling to Arkansas Tech 70-66 in overtime.
The loss denied SWOSU their second consecutive GAC tournament championship and is their first at the tournament in its existence.
Leading the way for SWOSU was
Natalia Gibson and
SaRaya Oyler who scored 13 points apiece.
Elizabeth Lay added a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds while
Sarah Mendoza chipped in 12 points.
SaRaya Oyler and
Michelle Fisher, who was held to seven points on 2-14 shooting, were each named to the All-Tournament Team.
Checking the Standings
Thursday's loss to Harding was the first in conference play for the Lady Bulldogs, dropping them to 2-1 in GAC action this season. Arkansas Tech also suffered their first conference loss on Thursday and they are currently tied with SWOSU and Henderson State for third place in the GAC at 2-1. Harding and Southeastern Oklahoma State are tied atop the rankings with matching 3-0 records.
Swisher Fisher Ties Record
Earlier this season, SWOSU senior guard
Michelle Fisher became the leading three-point shooter in Great American Conference history, passing former teammate
MaRiah Oyler. With four more three's made on Thursday, Fisher, who has knocked down 141 three's in the three-year history of the GAC, tied Oyler's SWOSU career record for 3-pointers made, a mark currently set at 178.
Fisher leads the Great American Conference with an average of 3.2 made three-point field goals per game and her 43.3% (29-of-67) percentage ranks sixth in the conference. She is also the top free throw shooter in the GAC, connecting on 88.5% (23-of-26) of her attempts from the strip this season. Fisher surpassed the 1,000-point career scoring mark and she currently has 1,087 points scored in her career.
Scouting the Opponent
Arkansas Tech presents another tough defensive challenge for SWOSU. The Golden Suns rank second in the GAC after allowing just 58.6 points per game while averaging 83.9 points offensively, giving them a +25.3 scoring margin, the best in the conference. Anissa Pounds is ATU's top scorer, averaging 14.7 points per game with Cara Neighbors (13.2 ppg) and Jacinda Myers-Sanders (10.9) as the other top offensive options.
Pioneer Cellular Event Center Update
It was announced on December 20 that the first event in the new Pioneer Cellular Event Center (PCEC) 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 PCEC on Saturday, January 25, when Northwestern Oklahoma State University comes to Weatherford for a 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. doubleheader.
Quick Hits
- SWOSU ranks second in the GAC in free throw percentage, connecting on 170-of-233 (73.0%) attempts this season.
-
Michelle Fisher (1st),
Kimmi Sawatzky (4th) and
Sarah Mendoza (10th) all rank in the top 10 in free throw percentage
- SWOSU and Arkansas Tech are the top two scoring teams in the GAC, averaging 87.0 and 83.9 points per game, respectively.
-
Jessica Penner leads the conference in field goal percentage (.692)
-
Sarah Mendoza has 30 assists on the year against 14 turnovers for a 2.1 assist:turnover ratio, the best in the GAC
Looking Ahead
SWOSU hits the road next weekend for conference games against Southeastern Oklahoma State on Thursday and East Central on Saturday.
