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Harding (11-9, 9-5 GAC) at SWOSU (11-9, 5-8 GAC) Saturday, February 7, 2:00 pm Weatherford, Okla. (Pioneer Cellular Event Center) Live Stats  |  Watch Live  |  Live Audio SWOSU Game Notes (pdf)

Setting the Stage
- SWOSU concludes their current three-game home stand on Saturday by hosting Harding at the Pioneer Cellular Event Center
- Game times for Saturday's doubleheader have been moved up one hour from the original time, meaning the Bulldogs and Bisons will tipoff at 2:00 pm
- Harding defeated SWOSU 64-52 back in November in a game played in Searcy and they will be looking for a second consecutive season sweep of the Bulldogs
- The Bisons are one of just two GAC teams (Northwestern Oklahoma State) that the Bulldogs have not beaten under the direction of coach Bob Battisti
- With Thursday's defeat against Arkansas Tech, the Bulldogs fell to just 5-4 on their home court this season while Harding suffered a one-point setback at Northwestern, falling to just 1-7 in true road games this season
 
The Opponent
Harding (11-9, 9-5 GAC)
- Fell to Northwestern Oklahoma State 66-65 on Thursday night, snapping a six-game winning streak
- Still sitting fourth in the current GAC standings with a 9-5 league mark while holding an 11-9 record for the year
- Third-highest scoring team in the Great American Conference, currently averaging 77.7 points per game while allowing opponents an average of 72.6 ppg
- Led by the GAC's second-leading scorer, Andraz Kavaz, who averages 19.7 points and a team-leading 7.2 rebounds per game
- Ranked as the top 3-point shooting team in the league, hitting from long range at a 39.1% (210-of-537) clip and averaging 10.5 made 3-pointers per game
- Also the top free throw shooting team in the GAC with a conversion rate of 73.3% (291-of-397) from the stripe
- Blake McNair is their second-leading scorer, averaging 12.6 points per game while leading the GAC in 3-point FG percentage (46.2%)
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Bob Battisti (28-19, 2nd season; 437-315 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 437-315 (.583), but he is winless (0-3) against Harding as the head coach of the Bulldogs
 
Harding: Jeff Morgan (375-246, 22nd season)
- Longest-tenured head coach in the Great American Conference as he is into his 22nd season as the Bisons head coach
- Has led Harding to consecutive berths in the NCAA Division II Tournament and six overall postseason appearances, including the 1996 NAIA National Tournament
- Prior to coming to Harding, served as the head coach at West Texas A&M for the 1992-93 season
- Has led HU to five 20-win seasons, including two in the past three seasons
 
Last Time Out
- SWOSU was outscored 34-25 in the second half and squandered a 10-point lead midway through the half in a 69-65 defeat against Arkansas Tech on Thursday
- The Bulldogs led 40-35 at the break and pushed the lead to 10, 51-41, with 12:52 to play before the Wonder Boys came roaring back
- Martell Collins led the Bulldogs with a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds in just 29 minutes of action before fouling out late in the game
- Trent Washington added 16 points and Richard McCalop had 12, but the remaining five players that saw action combined for just 16 points
- SWOSU hit just 52.4% (11-of-21) of their free throw attempts, including 4-of-9 (44.4%) shooting at the stripe in the second half
 
Checking the Standings
- SWOSU is officially in must-win territory as they have fallen out of the top eight in the GAC standings with the loss on Thursday
- The Bulldogs must return to the top eight in the standings in order to earn a berth in the GAC Tournament next month in Bartlesville
- At 5-8 in league play, SWOSU currently sits just one-half game back of Arkansas Tech and Henderson State, who are currently tied for seventh
- Harding is alone in fourth place in the GAC at 9-5, one-half game behind East Central for third and two games clear of Southern Nazarene in fifth
 
SWOSU Notes
- Martell Collins recorded his 10th double-double of the season against Arkansas Tech, and first in four games, with 21 points and 10 rebounds against the Wonder Boys
- Collins upped his league-leading rebounding average to 9.5 per game and he continues to rank as the GAC's fourth-leading scorer at 17.6 points per game
- Trent Washington scored 16 points on Thursday, his third straight game with 14 or more points since returning to the starting lineup (16.7 ppg)
- Washington remains the Bulldogs second-leading scorer with an average of 12.0 points per game for the season
- Richard McCalop made his third consecutive start on Thursday and logged a season-high 36 minutes of action
- Since joining the starting lineup, McCalop is averaging 10.0 ppg, upping his season average to 6.3 ppg
- Kenyan Borders has now been held to nine or fewer points in four consecutive games, his longest streak this season without a double-digit scoring game
- Garrett Hammonds picked up his first points of the season on Thursday, connecting on 2-of-3 free throws after being fouled on a long range attempt
 
Looking Ahead
- SWOSU plays road games at Ouachita Baptist and Southern Arkansas - the top two teams in the GAC standings - next weekend