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No. 25 Arkansas Tech (16-3, 11-2 GAC) at SWOSU (7-11, 4-8 GAC) Thursday, January 5, 5:30 PM Weatherford, Okla. (Pioneer Cellular Event Center) Watch Live | Listen Live | Live Stats SWOSU Game Notes

Setting the Stage
- SWOSU will play their second of three straight home games on Thursday, February 5 against No. 24 Arkansas Tech. Tip time is scheduled for 5:30 PM inside the Pioneer Cellular Event Center
- In the first game of the series, the Lady Bulldogs fell to the Golden Suns 97-52 in Russellville, Ark.
- The Lady Dawgs will be looking for their third straight win in Great American Conference play
 
The Opponent
Arkansas Tech (16-3, 11-2 GAC)
- Arkansas Tech comes in at 11-2 in conference play and ranked 25th nationally, but are 3-2 in their last five games
- Putting up 77.3 points per game, the Golden Suns boast the top scoring offense in the conference and is the 20th most-potent offense in NCAA Division II. Fatima Adams is the team's leading scorer, pouring in 21.1 PPG to rank 11th in Division II. Anissa Pounds is also among the top eight scorers in the conference at 13.7 PPG, while Katrina Hayden is 21st in the conference with 10.4 PPG
- ATU has the third best defense in the league, allowing just 61.9 PPG to opponents and winning by an average margin of +15.4 points. The Golden Suns have done well chasing opposing shooters off their spots, with opponents shooting .385 from the field and .306 from long range
- The Golden Suns hold the second best rebounding margin in the GAC at +8.3 and average 39.9 rebounds per game. Adams leads Tech on the glass, pulling down 9.6 RPG per game and is third in the conference in the category
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Kelsi Musick (85-76, 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 to the Pioneer Cellular Event Center after a four game road swing to face East Central this past Saturday
- The Lady Dawgs posted their second straight win, 64-54 over the Tigers. It's the second time this season the team has posted back-to-back wins in conference play
- SWOSU used an 18-2 run in the second half that saw ECU go six minute without a field goal to take the victory
- Jade Jones finished with a game-high 15 points and seven rebounds. Jessica Penner was second on the team with ten points and ten rebounds to complete her double-double
- Chelsea Bates dished out five assists to just one turnover while also splashing in nine points and grabbing ten rebounds in the victory
 
Checking the Standings
- SWOSU (7-11, 4-8 GAC) retains possession of eighth place after defeating ECU
- Harding (16-3, 12-1 GAC) and ATU (16-3, 11-2 GAC) are still at the top of the standings and have clinched berths to the GAC Tournament
- ECU (12-6, 8-4 GAC) held steady in third place, but Arkansas-Monticello (10-8, 8-5 GAC) has won two straight and are in fourth
- Northwestern Oklahoma State (8-11, 7-6 GAC) is in fifth, one place in front of Southeastern Oklahoma State (13-7, 6-6 GAC) who have now dropped six of their last seven games
- Henderson State (7-12, 5-8 GAC) is one spot above SWOSU, but SWOSU has a game in hand on the Lady Reddies
- Ouachita Baptist (7-13, 3-10 GAC), Southern Nazarene (6-13, 3-10 GAC) and Southern Arkansas (5-14, 3-10 GAC) are tied for ninth
 
SWOSU Notes
- Southwestern held East Central to opponent-lows with 54 points and 20 made baskets in the victory last Saturday
- With 69.1 PPG, the Lady Bulldogs rank fourth in scoring offense in the GAC. Bates is tenth in the conference at a clip of 12.8 PPG while Penner is 12th with 12.4 PPG. Kimmi Sawatzky has worked her way back into the top 30 and is 29th in scoring, pouring in 9.3 PPG
- Penner's double-double was her fourth on the season and she currently leads the team in the category. It was her first double-double since January 8 against Ouachita Baptist, a game that she scored 12 points and grabbed 16 rebounds
- SWOSU is second in offensive rebounding, grabbing 41.7 RPG. However, they have been outrebounded by an average margin of -0.7
- Morgan Vogt enjoyed a solid week from her role on the bench, averaging 10.5 PPG on 7-18 shooting and 3.5 RPG (2.0 offensive RPG) on an average of 16 minutes per game
- Jones looks to have broken out of a small scoring slump. Her 15 points was the first time she broke double digits in scoring since she put up 13 points on Henderson State on January 13
- Bates leads the conference and is ranked 37th in Division II with an assist/turnover ratio of 1.86
- Penner has been dominant on the offensive glass, grabbing 4.0 ORPG over the last three games. She leads the conference and ranks 38th in Division II with 3.8 ORPG for the season
- Korina Chapman averaged a double-double last week with 14.5 PPG and 10.5 RPG
 
Looking Ahead
- SWOSU will complete the home stand against Harding on Saturday, February 7 at 12 PM hoping to even the series after falling 105-69 earlier this season
- The Lady Dawgs will then play their final two road games before wrapping up the season with four straight home games