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No. 20 Harding (17-3, 13-1 GAC) at SWOSU (7-12, 4-9 GAC) Saturday, February 7, 12 PM Weatherford, Okla. (Pioneer Cellular Event Center Watch Live | Listen Live | Live Stats SWOSU Game Notes

Setting the Stage
- The Lady Bulldogs play the final of three straight home games as they welcome No. 20 Harding to the Pioneer Cellular Event Center on Saturday, February 7. Tip time is set for 12 PM
- In the first meeting this season, Harding raced past SWOSU 105-69. It is the most points allowed by SWOSU this season
 
The Opponent
Harding (17-3, 13-1 GAC)
- Harding comes into the game having won two of their last three games. They most recently dispatched Northwestern Oklahoma State 64-45 in Alva, Okla., on Thursday night
- The Lady Bisons come in boasting the second-best scoring offense in the conference, putting up 74.8 points per game. Arielle Saunders leads the team at 16.4 PPG. Montana Lewis is second on the team and 15th in the Great American Conference with 11.7 PPG
- Allowing just 58.6 PPG, Harding leads the GAC in scoring defense and are winning games by an average margin of +16.2 points. Opposing offenses are shooting a league-worst .359 from the field, but have found some space around the perimeter where they are making .304 beyond the arc
- Rebounding is a focus for the Lady Bisons, and they are first in the conference in the category with 42.0 rebounds per game while enjoying a +9.2 rebounding margin. Saunders has been a force on the glass and ranks 20th in NCAA Division II with 11.2 RPG
-  Harding have the ability to distribute the ball efficiently and effectively, ranking 26th in Division II in assists at 16.1 assists per game. A'ndrea Haney leads the conference with 3.8 APG
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Kelsi Musick (85-77, 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
 
Harding: Tim Kirby (173-90, 10th season)
- Tim Kirby enters his tenth season in charge of the Harding women's basketball program
- Set a program record in wins last season by going 29-3. His team only lost one game in the
regular season before falling to SWOSU in the GAC Tournament championship game and
Concordia-Saint Paul in the fi rst round of the NCAA Division II Tournament in postseason action
- He has coached 15 all-conference players, as well as four Freshman of the Year honorees,
including reigning Freshman of the Year Haney
- Prior to arriving at Harding, Kirby spent five years at Carl Albert State College in Poteau,
Okla., where he served as an assistant coach for two years before taking the post of men's
head coach for three
 
Last Time Out
- The Lady Dawgs hosted No. 25 Arkansas Tech on Thursday night, pushing the Golden Suns to the brink before falling in overtime 64-62
- SWOSU trailed for most of the first half, but used a 17-2 run over the last 6:33 of the first half to claim a 30-22 lead going into halftime
- Despite Tech taking the lead in the final minute, the Lady Dawgs went on a 7-0 burst that was capped by a Korina Chapman mid-range jumper to make the game tied a 56-56. A missed layup by Chelsea Bates at the buzzer forced the overtime
- Fatima Adams scored the go-ahead basket with the score tied 62-62 with just 1.6 seconds left after her initial shot was deflected out of bounds by SWOSU
- Jennifer Williams finished with a team-high 12 points. Bates had a double-double with 11 points and ten boards and Chapman also had 11 points along with seven rebounds
 
Checking the Standings
- The Lady Dawgs (7-12, 4-9 GAC) held steady in eighth place, one spot ahead of Ouachita Baptist (7-13, 3-10 GAC) in ninth
- Harding (17-3, 13-1 GAC) and ATU (17-3, 12-2 GAC) remained in first and second respectively, with East Central (13-6, 9-4 GAC) the closest challenger in third place
- Arkansas-Monticello (11-8, 9-5 GAC) is in fourth with a conference-best three-game win streak
- Southeastern Oklahoma State (14-7, 7-6 GAC) is in fifth and just ahead of NWOSU (8-12, 7-7 GAC)
- Henderson State (7-13, 5-9 GAC) sits one spot ahead of SWOSU in seventh place
- Southern Nazarene (6-14, 3-11 GAC) and Southern Arkansas (5-15, 3-11 GAC) are tied for tenth, with SNU riding a conference-worst five-game losing streak
 
SWOSU Notes
- SWOSU has allowed opponents over the season to put up an average of 72.8 PPG, but have held opponents below that average for five straight games. The Lady Dawgs have allowed just 63.6 PPG
- Williams went 3-4 from beyond the arc in the first half against ATU and finished 3-7. It was her best shooting performance from the perimeter since December 4 when she was 2-4
- The Lady Dawgs rank fourth in scoring offense, lighting up the scoreboard for 68.7 PPG. Bates leads the team and is in the top ten in the conference with 12.7 PPG while Penner is 13th with 12.0 PPG
- Wtih an emphasis on rebound, SWOSU has risen to second in the category at 41.9 RPG. The Lady Bulldogs have three players in the top 15, led by Jessica Penner in fourth with 9.1 RPG. Chapman is just behind Penner in fifth with 8.4 RPG while Bates is 14th at 6.1 RPG
- Bates completed her second double-double of the season against Arkansas Tech. It was her first double-double since the season opener against Arkansas-Fort Smith on November 20
- Missed free throws proved costly on Thursday night. The Lady Dawgs went .647 from the charity stripe and it is the second time in four games that they've shot below .700
- Penner has the third best shooting percentage in Division II and leads the conference in the category. She has gone .619 from the field this season
- Bates has dished out 4.7 APG over the last three games after averaging just 1.7 over the three games prior. She is 37th in Division II with a 1.86 assist/turnover ratio
- Vogt continues to contribute off the bench, averaging 9.3 PPG and 3.3 RPG over the last three games
 
Looking Ahead
- The Lady Dawgs will take their final two road trips of the season next week, first making a stop in Arkadelphia, Ark., for a game against OBU on Thursday, February 12 at 5:30 PM
- Bates scored 25 points in the first game of the season series in Weatherford as SWOSU came out on top 85-61