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Southern Arkansas (8-4, 5-2 GAC) at SWOSU (8-5, 2-4 GAC) Saturday, January 10, 3:00 pm Weatherford, Okla. (Pioneer Cellular Event Center) Live Stats  |  Watch Live  |  Listen Live SWOSU Game Notes (pdf)

Setting the Stage
- The Great American Conference grind is here and SWOSU now must bounce back from a 66-58 loss to first-place Ouachita Baptist on Saturday when they host second-place Southern Arkansas at 3:00 pm in the Pioneer Cellular Event Center
- The Muleriders come into the game winners of four straight, including a 59-58 win over East Central in Ada last on Thursday night
- SWOSU dropped to 2-4 in conference play with their setback against OBU on Thursday and they play four consecutive road games after Saturday's contest
- The Bulldogs are 4-2 on their home court this season, but they are 0-2 in conference home games to date
 
The Opponent
Southern Arkansas (8-4, 5-2 GAC)
- Winners of three straight, including conference wins over Henderson State and East Central that have moved them into second in the GAC standings at 5-2
- Own an exhibition 69-67 win over NCAA Division I Arkansas State back in November
- Fourth-leading scoring team in the conference at 73.8 points per game while holding opponents to just 68.5 points per contest, third-best in the GAC
- At 53.8%, have the lowest free throw shooting percentage in the conference by a wide margin
- Ranked first in the GAC in field goal percentage defense (40.3%) and second in 3-point field goal percentage defense (32.3%)
- Led in scoring by Jaron Davis (15.3 ppg) and Chauncy Williams (13.6), the defending Co-GAC Player of the Week along with SWOSU's Martell Collins
- Forward Alre'k Brown ranks second in the GAC in field goal percentage (65.9%) and blocked shots (22) while also sitting fifth in rebounding (7.8 per game)
- Williams leads the GAC with 40 made 3-pointers this season
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Bob Battisti (25-15, 2nd season; 434-311 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
- 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
- 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 434-311 (.583)
 
Andy Sharpe (30-37, 3rd season)
- In the midst of a breakout season by the Muleriders in his third year as the head coach at SAU
- Led SAU to their first postseason win since 1999-00 by defeating SWOSU 63-59 in the opening round of the 2014 GAC Tournament
- Increased the Muleriders win total in each of his first two seasons and is on pace to do so again in 2014-15
- Previously spent five seasons at NAIA Martin Methodist College in Tennessee, leading the RedHawks to three NAIA National Tournaments and the 2011 Final Four
 
Last Time Out
- GAC-leading Ouachita Baptist held off a late rally from the Bulldogs for a 66-58 victory on Thursday night at the Pioneer Cellular Event Center
- The Tigers built a 51-40 lead with 7:56 to play before SWOSU stormed back and got within two at 57-55 with 1:30 to play
- OBU was awarded several free throws in the final minute of the game to secure the victory
- Martell Collins notched another double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds while Emeche Wells also tied for team-high scoring honors with 14
 
Checking the Standings
- Thursday's defeat drops SWOSU back to two games under .500 at 2-4 in league play for the year
- The Bulldogs are currently tied with Southeastern Oklahoma State for eighth place in the standings, one-half game behind Southern Nazarene
- Saturday's game is the second straight against a top team in the GAC as Southern Arkansas sits in second place at 5-2 on the year
- Ouachita Baptist remains atop the standings at 5-1 in league play, the only team with just one conference blemish on their record
 
SWOSU Notes
- Martell Collins became the second Bulldog to earn GAC Player of the Week honors this season after averaging a double-double last week in wins over USAO and Southeastern
- Collins now leads the GAC with six double-doubles on the year and he's the only player in the conference ranked in the top five in both scoring (4th, 17.2) and rebounding (3rd, 8.7)
- Collins joins Kenyan Borders in earning the GAC weekly honor after Borders earned the nod back on December 8
- Emeche Wells tied a season-high by making three 3-pointers on Thursday and he reached double figures in scoring for just the fifth time this year with 14 points
- SWOSU has continued taking care of the ball, committing seven or fewer turnovers in five consecutive games
- The Bulldogs have committed 119 turnovers on the year, an average of 9.2, a number ranking as the third fewest in NCAA Division II
- The Bulldogs continue to lead the GAC in scoring defense, holding opponents to just 66.0 points per game while scoring 67.2 points per contest to rank 10th in the league in scoring offense
 
Looking Ahead
- SWOSU is on the road for four consecutive Great American Conference games, starting next Thursday at Henderson State
- The Bulldogs then face Arkansas-Monticello, Northwestern Oklahoma State and Southern Nazarene before returning home on January 31 to face East Central