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SWOSU (7-4, 1-3 GAC) at Southeastern Oklahoma State (6-6, 2-2 GAC) Saturday, January 3, 3:00 pm Durant, Okla. (Bloomer Sullivan Arena) Live Stats  |  Listen Live  |  Watch Live SWOSU Game Notes (pdf)

Setting the Stage
- SWOSU travels to Durant to usher in the 2015 calendar year and they do so with momentum on their side following a 77-67 victory over USAO on Tuesday evening
- The Bulldogs have dropped two straight GAC contests and enter Saturday's game one game behind Southeastern in the conference standings at 1-3
- The victory over USAO on Tuesday snapped a two-game slide by the Bulldogs, both conference games against Southern Nazarene and Arkansas Tech
- Southeastern Oklahoma State enters with three straight victories, including a 69-66 upset of NCAA Division I foe Tulsa back on December 10
- The Savage Storm have been out of action since a December 13 victory over Northwestern Oklahoma State in Durant
- SWOSU swept Southeastern last season and the Bulldogs have won three of the past four meetings between the teams
 
The Opponent
Southeastern Oklahoma State (6-6, 2-2 GAC)
- Winners of five of their last six games, evening up their record after a 1-5 start to the season
- Hold the marquee non-conference victory for the Great American Conference this season, a 69-66 upset at NCAA Division I foe Tulsa on December 10
- Won their only previous home GAC contest, defeating Northwestern Oklahoma State
- Averaging 75.8 points per game, led by Danny Powell, the fifth-leading scorer in the GAC at 16.8 points per game
- The Savage Storm's Darius Harris leads the GAC in rebounding with an average of 9.3 boards per contest
- Southeastern's Antonio Worthy is the top shot-blocker in the conference with 27 (2.3/game) to his credit
- Leading the GAC in field goal percentage defense (39.7%) while also ranking second in 3-point field goal percentage defense (33.2%)
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Bob Battisti (24-14, 2nd season; 433-310 career, 26th season)
- Bob Battisti was named the 14th head men's basketball coach in SWOSU history prior to last season after spending two seasons as an assistant coach at Oklahoma Christian University
- Battisti led the Bulldogs to a 17-10 record in his first season, marking a five-win improvement from the previous season
- Three players earned All-GAC distinction in Battisti's first season at SWOSU, including GAC Player of the Year Rod Camphor and Defensive Player of the Year Michael Bradley
- SWOSU committed the fewest turnovers in NCAA Division II in Battisti's first season with 243, an average of just 9.0 per game
- Previously 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
- In 25 years as a head coach, Battisti has a career record of 433-310 (.583)
 
Kelly Green (42-55, 4th season)
- Took over at Southeastern Oklahoma State in the spring of 2011 after 14 seasons as head coach at Arizone Western junior college
- Won over 300 games during his time at Arizona Western and  has amassed almost 400 victories in 18 years of collegiate head coaching
- Has led Southeastern to double figure wins in two of his three seasons with a 15-12 record in 2012-13
- Also been a head coach for Frank Phillips College and Western New Mexico
 
Last Time Out
- Martell Collins and Ayo Ojo both recorded double-doubles to lead the Bulldogs past University of Science & Arts (USAO) 77-67 on Tuesday night at the Pioneer Cellular Event Center
- Collins finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season, despite playing much of the second half with four fouls
- Ojo notched personal bests of 21 points and 11 rebounds, including eight at the offensive end, in 30 minutes of action
- Kenyan Borders added 11 points, including 2-of-5 shooting from 3-point range
- SWOSU's field goal shooting remains a struggle as the Bulldogs hit just 35.6% (26-73) field goals and 26.1% (6-23) 3-pointers
 
Checking the Standings
- SWOSU remains alone in ninth place of the Great American Conference standings after back-to-back losses dropped the Bulldogs to 1-3 in conference play
- The Bulldogs are just one game back of Arkansas Tech and Southeastern Oklahoma State, who are an even 2-2 in GAC action
- East Central and Ouachita Baptist sit atop the standings currently at 3-1, with four teams (SAU, SNU, HSU, HU) all right behind at 3-2
 
SWOSU Notes
- Martell Collins now leads the Great American Conference with five double-doubles this season, ahead of four players, including Southeastern's Darius Harris and Danny Powell, who have each recorded four
- Collins is currently tied for third in the GAC in scoring (17.7/game) and fourth in rebounding (8.4/game), making him the only player in the conference ranked in the top five of both categories
- Trent Washington, who has battled shooting woes in recent games, was held under 10 points against USAO for the third time in the past four games
- Washington, who scored 8 points on 2-15 shooting against the Drovers, is still SWOSU's second-leading scorer at 12.2 points per game
- The strong senior season of Kenyan Borders has continued with KB ranking third on the team with an average of 10.7 points per game
- Borders became the first Bulldog to be named GAC Player of the Week since 2012 on December 8 after hitting two game-winning shots the previous week
- Emeche Wells scored seven points on 3-9 shooting against USAO, marking the first time this season he was held under 10 points in a game in which he had at least eight field goal attempts
 
Looking Ahead
- SWOSU returns home next weekend for a pair of conference games, hosting Ouachita Baptist on Thursday evening before welcoming Southern Arkansas to the Pioneer Cellular Event Center on Saturday afternoon