SWOSU (15-8, 12-5 GAC) at Ouachita Baptist (8-15, 5-12 GAC)
Saturday, February 22, 4:00 pm
Arkadelphia, Ark. (Bill Vining Arena)
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Setting the Stage
The SWOSU men's basketball team lost their first three games in the month of February, rebounded by winning their next three and now they see their quest for a conference championship boil down to the final three games of the month. The Bulldogs are back atop the Great American Conference standings at 12-5, but three teams are within two games and still vying for the championship.
The Bulldogs will face a Ouachita Baptist team that is coming off a thrilling, last-second win over Northwestern Oklahoma State on Thursday. The Tigers are fighting to qualify for the GAC Tournament, which they won last season.
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 424-304.
Dennis Nutt is in his third season as the head coach at Ouachita Baptist, where he has gone 41-41 since the start of the 2011-12 season. He also spent six seasons as the head coach at Texas State where he went 72-96 from 2000-06.
Last Time Out
Just like the women's game that started the night, the SWOSU men and Henderson State went to double overtime before deciding a winner. Unlike the opening game, however, it was the Bulldogs who came out on top and defeated the Reddies 79-74 in two extra sessions.
All five starters for SWOSU played more than 40 minutes and contributed big baskets to help the Bulldogs return to the top spot in the Great American Conference standings.
Gary Inglett notched his eighth double-double of the season, scoring 20 points and pulling down 13 rebounds to lead the way.
Kenyan Borders – who was scoreless at the end of regulation – knocked down his first shot of the game during the first overtime session, giving SWOSU a 66-64 lead with 3:12 to play. The low-scoring stanza was tied up by Henderson State with 20 seconds to play and a
Rod Camphor 3-pointer with two seconds remaining bounced off the iron and forced a second extra period.
After Henderson State scored the first bucket in overtime, SWOSU went on a 9-0 run that included three free throws from Bradley, another huge 3-pointer from Borders and a steal turned and-one opportunity for Inglett and suddenly the Bulldogs found themselves in front 76-68 with 1:16 to play. Two SWOSU turnovers allowed the Reddies to get within two points in the final minute, but free throws from Camphor and Washington finally put the game away for SWOSU.
Inglett led the Dawgs with his double-double, but three other starters joined him in double figures. Camphor had 19 points, five rebounds and four assists while Bradley scored 18 points and knocked down 8-of-11 free throws. Washington hit 3-of-6 3-pointers and finished with 11 points while Borders hit those two big 3-pointers in the overtime periods, which accounted for all six of his points.
Last Time vs. Ouachita Baptist (January 18, 2014)
Trailing 23-5 less than eight minutes into the game, it did not appear that the SWOSU men's basketball team was going to close out Rankin Williams Fieldhouse in ideal fashion. The Bulldogs, however, continued to scrap and managed to overcome a 14-point halftime deficit to defeat Ouachita Baptist 72-68.
Michael Bradley and
Gary Inglett each scored 22 points in the victory but it took a team effort at both ends of the floor for the Bulldogs to get back within striking distance. OBU connected on 6-of-13 three pointers in the first half to build their lead, but the Bulldogs defense clamped down after the break, holding the Tigers to 24 points on 7-of-21 shooting.
The Bulldogs trailed 44-30 at the break and OBU quickly made it a 16-point game before the SWOSU comeback began with a
Kenyan Borders three-pointer. A 9-0 run, highlighted by a tip dunk from Inglett and a three from
Trent Washington got SWOSU within three at 50-47 with just over 14 minutes to play.
SWOSU finally took the lead after Inglett and
Rod Camphor connected on four straight free throws around the eight-minute mark. The teams went back-and-forth over the next few possessions before an 8-0 run erased turned a one-point deficit into a 68-61 lead with 3:04 to play. OBU continued to battle, cutting the lead to one in the final minute before Bradley and
Kenyan Borders hit 3-of-4 free throws to salt the game away.
Checking the Standings
With three straight victories, the Bulldogs have climbed back atop the Great American Conference standings with three games remaining in the regular season. The Bulldogs are 12-5 in conference play, one-half game ahead of Arkansas Tech and one full game ahead of Southern Nazarene, who SWOSU will host on Tuesday night. Ouachita Baptist is in contention for the final spot in the GAC Tournament, currently 10th in the standings at 5-12.
Scouting the Opponent
The Tigers snapped a four-game losing streak on Thursday with a last-second 77-76 win over Northwestern Oklahoma State in which Micah Delph hit the game-winning 3-pointer with two seconds to play. The win improved Ouachita Baptist to 8-15 on the year, 5-12 in conference play, and it helps with their bid to qualify for the GAC Tournament and defend their tournament title.
OBU is similar to SWOSU in their scoring averages, scoring 71.2 points per game (SWOSU - 71.6) while allowing opponents to score 73.0 (SWOSU - 69.9). The Tigers are connecting on 44.8% of their field goal attempts, and they are struggling from 3-point range where they have hit just 33.2% of their shots this season.
Ouachita Baptist does feature two of the top scorers in the conference in Colt Fason and Micah Delph. Fason is the GAC's No. 6 scorer, averaging 16.6 points per game, and also the second-leading rebounder as he pulls down 8.7 boards per game. Delph is scoring 15.4 points per game, the ninth-best mark in the GAC, and he ranks second in the conference in 3-point shooting by making 2.7 per game.
Quick Hits
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Gary Inglett played 49 of a possible 50 minutes against Henderson State and recorded his eighth double-double of the year (20 points, 13 rebounds)
- All four starters for SWOSU played 41 or more minutes against Henderson State
- The Bulldogs committed just 7 turnovers in 50 minutes of action on Thursday and they've committed 207 turnovers this season, the fewest in NCAA Division II
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Michael Bradley hit 8-of-11 free throws on Thursday and he's now connected on 20-of-25 (80.0%) over the past three games
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Kenyan Borders has hit a 3-pointer in five straight games, his second-longest streak of the year
Looking Ahead
SWOSU returns home on Tuesday to host Southern Nazarene for Senior Night before culminating the season in rivalry action at Northwestern Oklahoma State next Thursday night.
