---

Southern Nazarene (4-4, 1-3 GAC) at Southwestern Oklahoma State (2-5, 0-2 GAC) Saturday, December 13, 1 PM Weatherford, Okla. (Pioneer Cellular Event Center) Watch Live | Listen Live | Live Stats SWOSU Game Notes

Setting the Stage
- SWOSU returns home to the Pioneer Cellular Event Center after a four-game road swing to take on Great American Conference foe Southern Nazarene on Saturday, December 13 at 1 PM
 
The Opponent
Southern Nazarene (4-4)
- SNU comes into the conference game with SWOSU with one win in three tries in December
- The Crimson Storm comes in ranking fourth in the GAC in scoring offense with 70.8 points per game. Aminata Fall is SNU's leading scorer and ranks in the Top 30 scorers in NCAA Division II with 19.8 points per game. Abby Boyd is second on the team with 15.0 points, while three other players average at least 6.3 points per game
- Southern Nazarene is giving up 67.2 points per game to opponents. Opposing offenses are shooting 35.1 percent from the field and 33.1 percent from deep against SNU's defense
- SNU is the third best rebounding team in the conference, outrebounding opponents by 6.1 boards per game. Fall is the Crimson Storm's best rebounder, pulling down 13.3 rebounds. Three other players are averaging at least 4.0 rebounds per game
- The Crimson Storm leads the GAC in blocked shots, averaging 8.3 per contest. Fall ranks second in NCAA Division II in shots blocked, swatting 5.3 per game
- SNU has yet to win a game on the road this season, going 0-3
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Kelsi Musick (80-70, 6th season) 
- Kelsi Musick is in her sixth season leading the SWOSU women's basketball program
- The two-time GAC Coach of the Year has been the model of consistency, winning GAC Tournament titles in two of the last three years and earning back-to-back NCAA Division II National Tournaments. SWOSU is one of only four teams in the Central Region that have reached the national tournament each of the last two seasons
- Her high-energy style of play has led the Lady Dawgs to rank in the top four in the nation in scoring, and top ten in three points made in each of the last three seasons
- A great developer of talent, Musick has coached one All-American and 11 all-GAC selections, including one Player of the Year recipient
- Musick has also spent time as an assistant coach at Fresno State, where they won two Western Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles, as well as qualified for the NCAA Division I National Tournament in the 2008-09 season
 
Southern Nazarene: Derek Dorris (33-24, 3rd season)
- Derek Dorris is in his third season leading the SNU women's basketball program
- He led the Crimson Storm to a sixth place conference finish last season after going 9-11 in GAC competition
- Dorris also directed Southern Nazarene to a National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) National Championship in his first season. He also named NCCAA Coach of the Year after leading the Crimson Storm to a 17-3 record in their final 20 games in his first season
- Prior to taking the post at SNU, where he is an alumnus, Dorris held coaching positions at Southmoore (Okla.) and Bethany (Okla.) High Schools. During his time amongst the high school ranks, he collected a 152-73 record and earned multiple berths to the area tournament
 
Last Time Out
- The Lady Bulldogs completed their third game in five days and fourth straight road contest against Northeastern State in Tahlequah, Okla. They fell to the RiverHawks 78-65
- SWOSU scored 45 points in the second half, drawing as close as eight points after falling behind by 21 at halftime. However, it would not prove to be enough, as NSU scored seven of the last nine points in the contest
- Jade Jones came off the bench to lead the Lady Dawgs in scoring. Her 17 points were a game  and season high output for her. Jones also finished with four rebounds, two steals and one assist in 26 minutes of action
- Jessica Penner and Korina Chapman also scored in double digits. Penner had 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds to finish with her first double-double of the season. Chapman also finished with 11 points in the contest, while also grabbing six boards and blocking one shot
- Chelsea Bates recorded a season-high five steals against the RiverHawks. She also scored seven points and pulled down five rebounds while dishing out a season-high seven assists
- Brooklyn Scott, like Jones, provided a spark off the bench, pouring in six points and grabbing two rebounds in ten minutes
- The Lady Bulldogs tied their season high with nine steals and forced the RiverHawks into 15 turnovers which they used to turned into 12 points
- SWOSU out-rebounded NSU on the offensive glass 15-11. The Lady Dawgs did well to convert their offensive rebounds into points, outscoring the Northeastern 20-13 in second chance points
 
Checking the Standings
- The Lady Bulldogs (2-5, 0-2 GAC) and Ouachita Baptist (3-5, 0-2 GAC) are currently tied for ninth
- East Central (6-1, 4-0 GAC) is in first place, while Harding (6-2, 3-0 GAC) and Arkansas Tech (7-0, 2-0 GAC) are in second and third
- In fourth is Southeastern Oklahoma State (8-1, 2-1 GAC). Just behind the Savage Storm in a tie for fifth are Southern Arkansas (4-4, 2-2 GAC) and Arkansas-Monticello (3-5, 2-2 GAC)
- Northwestern (2-5, 1-1 GAC) is currently in seventh place, while Southern Nazarene (4-4, 1-3 GAC) is two games behind in eighth
- Henderson State (2-7, 0-4) sits in 11th place
 
SWOSU Notes
- The Lady Dawgs are fifth in scoring offense with 67.3 points per game and four players that qualify in the top 25 in the conference. They are led by Jennifer Williams who is averaging 14.1 points per game. Bates (12.3) and Kimmi Sawatzky (12.0) are second and third in scoring respectively. SWOSU has two other players averaging at least 9.1 points per game in Penner (9.8) and Chapman (9.1)
- SWOSU leads the conference in free throw percentage, turning 73.5 percent of shots at the line into points. Chapman is the most efficient shooter, going 87.5 percent from the stripe
- The Lady Bulldogs are fifth in rebounding offense, pulling down 39.0 per contest. They are led by Chapman who is fifth in the conference with 7.7 rebounds. Penner is grabbing 7.6 boards per outing
- Ranking fifth in 3-point baskets made with 7.1 per game, the Lady Dawgs are led by Sawatzky who is making 2.1 per contest. Sawatzky is tied for the fourth-best average makes from deep
- Bates has taken excellent care of the ball. The senior point guard leads the conference in assist/turnover ratio at 2.1. She is also third in the conference dishing out 3.9 assists
- Jones continues to excel as the sixth man in SWOSU's rotation. She is averaging 6.6 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 17.7 minutes
- Bates and Sawatzky continue to see heavy minutes, playing 35.9 and 32.9 minutes each. They both rank in the top six, with Bates playing more minutes than any other GAC player
 
Looking Ahead
- SWOSU goes back on the road for a conference matchup against No. 18 Arkansas Tech in the Tucker Coliseum with tipoff set for 5:30 PM