Setting the Stage- Coming off their first defeat in almost seven weeks, the Lady Bulldogs will look to rebound on Saturday afternoon against GAC-newcomer Oklahoma Baptist
- Tipoff will be at noon inside the Pioneer Cellular Event Center, moved up an hour to accommodate a high school tournament sharing the same venue later on Saturday
- SWOSU had a nine-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday at Southeastern Oklahoma State, bringing to an end the longest winning streak of the NCAA Division II era for the Lady Bulldogs
- A home winning streak of eight games still exists for the Lady Bulldogs, who are 8-4 at the Pioneer Cellular Event Center this season
- Oklahoma Baptist evened their league record at 5-5 with a victory over Northwestern Oklahoma State on Thursday, which improved their overall record to 7-9
- This will be the first meeting between the teams since 2011, an 81-50 victory by the Lady Bulldogs in the SWOSU Classic
- Wednesday's setback has SWOSU tied for fourth place in the league standings, with Saturday's game being the final game of the first half of the conference schedule
The OpponentOklahoma Baptist (7-9, 5-5 GAC)- Defeated Northwestern Oklahoma State 77-51 on Thursday night, halting a two-game slide against in-state foes
- Ranked eighth in the GAC in scoring offense with an average of 68.4 points per game while holding opponents to 66.2 points per game for a scoring margin of +2.1
- Lead the GAC in three-point field goal percentage defense, allowing teams to shoot just 29.4% (93-for-316) from long range this season
- Third among GAC teams in blocked shots with 56 blocks (3.5/game) this season and they have a league-leading 141 steals (8.8/game) in 16 games
- Led in scoring by McKenzie Cooper, who ranks eight in the GAC with a 14.6 point per game average
- Cameerah Graves is third in the GAC with 33 steals (2.1/game) on the year while Arielle Cooper is tied for sixth in blocks with 16 (1.0/game)
The CoachesSWOSU: Kelsi Musick (100-86; 7th season)- Two-time GAC Coach of the Year has been the model of consistency, winning GAC Tournament titles in two of the last four years and earning back-to-back NCAA Division II National Tournaments during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons
- Earned her 100th victory as head coach of the Lady Bulldogs on January 18th, 2016 against Northwestern Oklahoma State
- A great developer of talent, Musick has coached one All-American and 12 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
- Has a record of 1-1 against Oklahoma Baptist as the head coach of the Lady Bulldogs, but Saturday's meeting will be her first meeting against the Bison as conference foes
Oklahoma Baptist: Casi Bays (76-35; 4th season)- Named the Sooner Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2013-14 after leading the Lady Bison to a 28-6 reocrd and NAIA National Tournament appearance
- Has won a combined 55 games in their final two seasons as members of the NAIA, advancing to the NAIA Quarterfinals last season
- Previously coached in the high school ranks in Oklahoma, compiling a 99-28 record at Bridge Creek HS and Newcastle HS
The Series GAC History Only Date Location Score First Meeting as GAC Foes
*GAC Conference Meeting Last Time Out- SWOSU had their nine-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday evening, falling to Southeastern Oklahoma State 82-72 after the Savage Storm hit 13 three-pointers
- After trailing 35-29 at halftime, SWOSU got within one point on four occassions during the third quarter but they were unable to regain the lead
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Janae Coffee and
Hailey Tucker led SWOSU with 19 points apiece while
Jade Jones and
Jennifer Williams each had 10
SWOSU Notes- The Lady Bulldogs have scored 70 points or more in 13 of the last 14 games, helping them sport the second-highest scoring offense in the GAC at 78.8 points per game
- SWOSU's move to a zone defense has also paid off defensively, where the Lady Bulldogs lead the GAC by limiting teams to 35.0% field goal shooting for the year
- With seven assists and no turnovers against Southeastern Oklahoma State, SWOSU's
Kylie Franz has moved into fourth nationally with a 3:06:1 assist-turnover ratio
- The Lady Bulldogs lead NCAA Division II with 35.0 defensive rebounds per game, rank third with 48.13 total rebounds per game and rank ninth with 93 blocked shots
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Hailey Tucker scored 19 points at Southeastern, but she was limited to one three-point make which snaps an eight-game streak with multiple three-pointers made
- Tucker's 48 made three-pointers this season is the second-most in the GAC and ranks second among all freshman in NCAA Division II
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Jennifer Williams has reached double figures in scoring in four of the past six games despite not playing more than 17 minutes in any of the contests
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Janae Coffee was one rebound shy of a double-double on Wednesday night, giving her at least nine rebounds in four straight games
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Jessica Penner remains the GAC's leader in field goal percentage at 66.7% (60-for-90) while
Hayden Priddy now has the best free throw percentage among league players at 91.7% (33-for-36)
- With two assists against Southeastern,
Jade Jones saw her average fall to 5.1 per game, a mark that still ties for the best in the league
- SWOSU has three players that average better than one blocked shot per game and rank among the top ten in the GAC:
Korina Chapman (1.5), Tucker (1.5) and Coffee (1.0)
Looking Ahead- The Lady Bulldogs are on the road next weekend for the vaunted Arkansas Tech and Harding road trip to conclude the month of January
- February opens with home games against Arkansas-Monticello and Southern Arkansas, the first of four home games in the final month of the season
