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SWOSU (8-12, 5-9 GAC) at Ouachita Baptist (7-14, 3-11 GAC) Thursday, February 12, 5:30 PM Arkadelphia, Ark. (Bill Vining Arena) Listen Live | Live Stats SWOSU Game Notes

Setting the Stage
- Coming off an upset victory of then No. 20 Harding, SWOSU takes to the road for their final road trip of the season. The team will first face Ouachita Baptist in Arkadelphia, Ark., with tip-time set for 5:30 PM
- The last time the two sides faced each other, SWOSU blew past OBU 85-61 in a dominating performance. Chelsea Bates put up a game-high 25 points in the contest
 
The Opponent
Ouachita Baptist (7-14, 3-11 GAC)
- The Lady Tigers enter the game having gone 1-4 in their last five games. However, their last two losses have been by a combined nine points against Northwestern Oklahoma State and then-No. 20 Arkansas Tech
- OBU has averaged 63.5 points per game, the eighth-best total in the Great American Conference. Breanna Harris is the leading scorer for the Lady Tigers and in the top 12 in the GAC, pouring in 12.5 PPG
- The Lady Tigers are also allowing opponents the eighth most points in the GAC at 70.0 PPG. Opposing offenses are going .417 from the field and .349 from downtown as OBU has lost been outscored by an average of -6.5 PPG
- Pulling down 37.3 rebounds per game, OBU ranks eighth in the conference in the category while being outrebounded by a -2.2 margin. Katie Kapler is sixth in the conference and has been strong on the glass, pulling down 7.3 RPG
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Kelsi Musick (86-77, 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
 
Ouachita Baptist: Garry Crowder (299-225, 20th season)
- Garry Crowder enters his 20th season at the helm for OBU as the program-leader in wins with 299 to his credit
- His teams have been ranked in the NCAA Division II Top 25 or received votes 11 times during his time with the team
- Crowder's 2008-09 squad recorded a single season record for wins in school history at 23 and they reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division II Tournament
- He boasts a career record of 703-334, making him one of the all-time winningest coaches in Arkansas history at any level
- Prior to taking over as the coach at OBU, Crowder enjoyed a successful career on the Arkansas high school coaching circuit with stops at Taylor and Jessieville High Schools
 
Last Time Out
- SWOSU squared off against then No. 20 Harding on Saturday afternoon in the Pioneer Cellular Event Center and handed the Lady Bisons just their second loss in conference play. The Lady Bulldogs blew past Harding 78-65
- It was an even contest through the first half, with both teams pouring in 32 at the interval
- Coming out of the locker room at halftime, it was much of the same. With 5:40 left to play, Harding tied it up. Kimmi Sawatzky, Jade Jones and Jennifer Williams each took turns knocking down shots from long range. The Bulldogs would end the game on a 20-7 run
- Jade Jones finished with a career- and game-high 19 points, and grabbed five rebounds and dished out four assists
- Nina Gregory found her shot around the perimeter, converting on 4-5 3-point tries in her best shooting performance of the season. She finished with a career-high 14 points in just 17 minutes of action
- On a strong shooting night, the Lady Bulldogs had five players finish with double digits in scoring
 
Checking the Standings
- The Lady Dawgs (8-12, 5-9 GAC) have climbed up to seventh place, just ahead of Henderson State (7-14, 5-10 GAC) who is in eighth
- Harding (17-4, 13-2 GAC), Arkansas Tech (17-3, 12-2 GAC) and East Central (14-6, 10-4 GAC) sit in the top three spots and have already clinched GAC Tournament berths
- Arkansas Monticello (11-9, 9-6 GAC) rounds out the top four
- Southeastern Oklahoma State (15-7, 8-6 GAC) is in fifth, but has won their last two games after hitting a rough patch in January. NWOSU (9-12, 8-7 GAC) is one place behind in sixth
- Southern Nazarene (7-14, 4-11 GAC), OBU (7-14, 3-11 GAC) and Southern Arkansas (5-16, 3-12 GAC) round out the bottom of the standings
 
SWOSU Notes
- Jessica Penner went 3-3 from the field against Harding and is 14-23 over her last four games. She ranks third in NCAA Division II with a .627 field goal percentage for the season
- Bates has given out 17 assists over the last four games and has a 4.3 assist/turnover ratio over that same timespan. Her 2.0 ratio is ranked 28th in Division II, while she averages 3.6 assist per game on the season
- Jones is beginning to find her shot again, and has averaged 13.0 points over the last three games. Gregory has also develop into a threat along the perimeter down the stretch and is shooting .545 from deep over the last three games while averaging two 3-point baskets per game
- The Lady Bulldogs rank fourth in scoring at 69.2 PPG despite ranking near the bottom in both field goal and 3-point shooting percentage
- SWOSU outrebounded Harding 43-38 on Saturday, and now boast the best rebounding offense in the conference with 42.0 RPG. The Lady Dawgs have been particularly strong on the offensive glass where they are third in the GAC with 12.6 ORPG. Penner is 41st in Division II with 3.7 ORPG
- Williams has recorded back-to-back double digit scoring games for the first time since she did it three games in a row to start the season
- Penner (9.1 RPG) and Korina Chapman (8.3 RPG) rank in the top five in rebounds in the GAC
 
Looking Ahead
- SWOSU will play their final road game of the season against Southern Arkansas at 1 PM on Saturday, Feb. 14 in Magnolia, Ark.
- Penner enjoyed a huge game against the Lady Muleriders the last time the two teams faced, scoring the third most points in GAC history and the most in SWOSU's Division II era with 39 points while also setting the school's Division II-era record for most field goals in a game with 18