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Southwestern Oklahoma State (2-6, 0-3 GAC) at #24 Arkansas Tech (8-1, 3-0 GAC) Wednesday, December 17, 5:30 PM Russellville, Ark. (Tucker Coliseum) Watch Live | Listen Live | Live Stats SWOSU Game Notes

Setting the Stage
- The Lady Bulldogs go on the road to Russellville, Ark. to face No. 24-ranked Arkansas Tech in Great American Conference action in the Tucker Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 PM
 
The Opponent
Arkansas Tech (8-1, 3-0 GAC)
- Arkansas comes into the game ranked No. 24 by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) after getting off to an 8-0 start to the season. They were handed their first loss of the season this past Sunday by unranked Benedict College at home 67-60
- The Golden Suns lead the GAC in scoring at 81.4 points. They are led by Fatima Adams 22.0 points per game who ranks eighth in NCAA Division II scoring. Katrina Hayden (12.9) and Anissa Pounds (12.8) are also in double digits
- ATU ranks second in the conference in scoring defense, allowing opponents 57.4 points per outing and winning by an average margin of 24.0 points, the best in the conference. Opposing offenses are shooting just 36.1 percent from the field and 28.3 percent from deep
- They are out-rebounding their opponents by an average margin of 11.7 rebounds per game, good for second in the GAC. Arkansas Tech is grabbing 43.7 rebounds per outing to their opponents' 32.0. Adams leads the team on the glass, pulling down 10.7 boards per game to rank in the NCAA Division II Top 50
- Tech has had a player foul out every third game this season. Opposing teams have fouled out every other game when facing the Golden Suns
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Kelsi Musick (80-71, 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
 
Arkansas Tech: Dave Wilbers (168-47, 8th season)
- Dave Wilbers is ATU's sixth coach in program history and is entering his eighth season at the helm
- He led Tech to the NCAA Division II Tournament in each of his first three seasons, including back-to-back Elite Eight finishes in the 2009-10 and 2010-11
- Since joining the GAC, Wilbers' teams have won two regular season titles, as well as one GAC Tournament title
- His teams have finished as the top field goal shooting team in NCAA Division II twice in his six previous seasons
- Prior to his move to Tech, Wilbers spent six seasons at NCAA Division I Oral Roberts where he served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Golden Eagles. He has also spent time at Missouri and Seward County Community College as an assistant coach
 
Last Time Out
- SWOSU returned home after a four-game road swing, welcoming GAC foe Southern Nazarene to the Pioneer Cellular Event Center
- The Lady Dawgs took a 37-30 lead going after the first half, but went cold for large parts of the second half en route to a 74-65 reversal to the Crimson Storm. SNU used a 8-0 run to start the second half to take a slight lead before extending the lead on a 10-0 run spanning four minutes in the middle of the second frame
- Jessica Penner led SWOSU with 20 points and 11 rebounds en route to her second straight double-double. Chelsea Bates also filled up the stat sheet, finishing with 15 points, seven rebounds and a season-high six assists
- Jade Jones made her first career start, pouring in nine points, five rebounds and three assists
- Korina Chapman led the team in rebounding, pulling down 12 boards while chipping in with eight points
- Every player that made an appearance for SWOSU scored in the game. Jennifer Williams scored six points, while Kimmi Sawatzky (4) and Morgan Vogt (3) featured from the bench
- The Lady Dawgs held SNU to a season-low eight 3-point attempts. The Crimson Storm only took two shots from deep in the second half. They did most of their damage at the line, going 20-26 in the second frame
 
Checking the Standings
- SWOSU (2-6, 0-3 GAC) and Ouachita Baptist (3-6, 0-3 GAC) are tied for ninth
- East Central (6-1, 4-0 GAC) and Harding (7-2, 4-0 GAC) are tied at the top of the standings in first. Arkansas Tech (8-1, 3-0 GAC) is one game back in third
- Southeastern Oklahoma State (9-2, 3-1 GAC) is in fourth. Trailing the Savage Storm by a game is Arkansas-Monticello (4-5, 3-2 GAC) in fifth
- Southern Nazarene (5-4, 2-3 GAC) and Southern Arkansas (4-6, 2-3 GAC) are tied for sixth. Northwestern Oklahoma State (2-6, 1-2 GAC) is just behind the pair in eighth place
- Henderson State (2-8, 0-5 GAC) sits in 11th place
 
SWOSU Notes
- SWOSU has averaged 67.0 points through eight games, ranking fifth in scoring offense in the GAC. Williams continues to lead the Lady Dawgs with 13.1, the tenth best scoring output in the conference. Bates (12.6), Penner (11.5) and Sawatzky (11.0) all rank in the Top 18
- The Lady Dawgs have struggled shooting, ranking near the bottom in both field goal shooting (35.6 percent) and 3-point shooting (27.7 percent)
- With 40.8 rebounds per game, the Lady Dawgs are fifth in rebounding offense. Chapman has led SWOSU on the boards, pulling down 8.3 rebounds per game to rank in the Top Five. Penner is also in the Top Five, coming in just behind Chapman with 8.2
- SWOSU has consistently shut down opponents from deep, ranking first in 3-point shooting defense. Opponents are making just 26.9 percent of their attempts from range
- The Lady Dawgs continue to do well at the free throw line, shooting 73.1 percent from the stripe to rank second in the GAC. They average 21.9 free throw attempts per game
- Penner has been a force down low, finishing 57.1 percent of her attempts from the field to become the fourth most efficient shooter in the conference
- Bates leads the conference in assists with 4.1 per game and has the 40th best assist/turnover ratio in NCAA Division II at 2.2. She is also second in the conference with 2.3 steals per game
- Chapman is fifth in blocked shots at 1.3 blocks per game
- Sawatzky has struggled the last two games, going 0-18, including 13 shots from deep, while averaging 4.0 points per game
 
Looking Ahead
- SWOSU returns home to host the University of Science and Arts on December 30 in non-conference action. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 PM