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Northwestern Okla. (3-9, 3-5 GAC) at SWOSU (8-6, 4-4 GAC) Monday, January 18, 7:30 pm Weatherford, Okla. (Pioneer Cellular Event Center) Live Stats  |  Watch Live  |  Listen Live SWOSU Game Notes (pdf)

Setting the Stage
- SWOSU Men's Basketball will play their third game in five days on Monday evening when they host Northwestern Oklahoma State at the Pioneer Cellular Event Center
- The Bulldogs enter the contest looking to snap a four-game losing streak that has seen SWOSU fall from the top of the GAC standings into a tie for sixth place
- Monday's rivalry contest will be the Bulldogs 11th home game this season and SWOSU has a 5-5 record on their home floor to date
- SWOSU will be looking for their second straight victory over the Rangers, a team they defeated 77-46 in Weatherford near the end of last season
- Northwestern enters the matchup with two wins in their past three games, which has improved them to 3-9 on the year and 3-5 in league play
- The Bulldogs are 2-4 against their rivals from the north since the Rangers joined the Great American Conference, with both victories coming in Weatherford
- Each team has an assistant coach who played for the other program: SWOSU's Kris Johnson played at Northwestern from 2004-08 while the Rangers' Jordan Franz played for the Bulldogs from 2011-15
 
The Opponent
Northwestern Oklahoma State (3-9, 3-5 GAC)
- Picked up an 82-77 victory over Southeastern Oklahoma State on Saturday to improve to 3-9 on the year, with all victories coming in conference games
- The Rangers are 1-3 in true road games this season, their lone victory on December 3rd at Southern Arkansas
- Ranked 10th in the GAC in scoring offense, averaging 72.2 points per game while allowing 77.0 points per game for a scoring margin of -4.8
- Have the fewest blocked shots (17) and three-pointers made (55) among all conference teams
- Led by Adrian Motley, the fourth-leading scorer in the GAC at 17.5 points per game and the league's seventh leading rebounder with 6.7 boards per game
- Guard Brandon Green is ranked second in the GAC in assists with 50 (5.0/game) and his assist/turnover ratio of 1.9:1 is the second-best in the conference
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Bob Battisti (41-29, 3rd season; 450-325 career, 27th season)
- In his third season as the head coach of the Bulldogs, having led SWOSU to back-to-back winning seasons in his first two years at the helm
- Has coached three players at SWOSU that earned All-GAC distinction, including one GAC Player of the Year and one GAC Defensive Player of the Year
- 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 26 years as a head coach, Battisti has a career record of 450-325 (.581) and he is 1-3 against his former school in Alva while at SWOSU
 
Northwestern Oklahoma State: Brad Franz (3-9, 1st season)
- First-year head coach of the Rangers, who returned to coaching after administration stints at both Northwestern Oklahoma State and Otero Junior College in Colorado
- Last coached in 1996 at Otero, where he led their team to an 88-56 record from 1991-96
- Was an assistant at NWOSU under Coach Battisti during the 1990-91 season and he also had coaching stints at UC-Davis, Tulsa and Sheridan Junior College
- Father of former Bulldog Jordan Franz, who played at SWOSU from 2011-15 before graduating last spring and joining the coaching staff at Northwestern Oklahoma State
 
The Series
GAC History Only
      Date                Location                            Score             
      *1/26/2013       Alva, Okla.                        L 75-90
      *2/28/2013       Weatherford, Okla.           W 67-66
      *1/25/2014       Weatherford, Okla.           L 66-67
      *2/27/2014       Alva, Okla.                        L 89-90 (OT)
      *1/22/2015       Alva, Okla.                        L 56-61
      *2/26/2015       Weatherford, Okla.           W 77-46
*GAC Conference Meeting
 
Last Time Out
- SWOSU came roaring back from a 25-point first-half deficit on Saturday, but they came up just short in an 82-77 defeat at Southern Nazarene
- After trailing by 20 in the second half, SWOSU got within 10 at the midway point of the period and eventually pulled within three in the final seconds
- Martell Collins scored a season-high 25 points, hitting 11-of-14 free throws, and Markeise Champion added 17 points and three assists
 
SWOSU Notes
- The Bulldogs are averaging 74.1 points per game for the season, but they have been limited to 64.0 points per during their current four-game slide
- Main reason for scoring troubles have been the field goal shooting percentage, which has dipped to 36% over the past four games and 41.1% for the year
- SWOSU remains stingy defensively, ranking second in the GAC in field goal percentage defense by holding opponents to 41.4% shooting
- In two meetings against Northwestern last season, SWOSU's Ayo Ojo averaged a double-double with 12.0 points and 13.0 rebounds per game
- Martell Collins had his best scoring effort of the season on Saturday at SNU, scoring 25 points on 7-for-16 shooting from the field
- SWOSU's Emeche Wells returned to the lineup against SNU after missing three games, but the GAC's leader in steals was limited to just three minutes in the game
- Markeise Champion is the Bulldogs second-leading scorer (15.1 ppg) and he leads the GAC with 51 made 3-point field goals this season
- The Bulldogs lead the GAC in blocked shots with 66 (4.7/game) behind Ojo, Juwan Newmen and Wells, who all rank in the top ten individually
- Newmen is averaging 10.0 rebounds per game in the past two outings, moving him into fourth in the GAC standings with 6.9 per game for the year
 
Looking Ahead
- SWOSU's busy stretch continues on Wednesday night as the Bulldogs head to Durant to face Southeastern Oklahoma State
- The Bulldogs follow that up and conclude the week by welcoming GAC newcomer Oklahoma Baptist to the Pioneer Cellular Event Center on Saturday afternoon