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SWOSU (11-6, 7-4 GAC) at Arkansas Tech (9-8, 4-7 GAC) Thursday, January 28, 7:30 pm Russellville, Ark. (Tucker Coliseum) Live Stats  |  Watch Live  |  Listen Live SWOSU Game Notes (pdf)

Setting the Stage
- The second half of conference basketball begins on Thursday night with the SWOSU Men's team in Russellville to face Arkansas Tech
- The Bulldogs are looking for their second-ever win in Russellville and first as GAC foes when they travel to Tucker Coliseum for the 7:30 pm tipoff
- SWOSU is just 2-10 against Arkansas Tech as members of the Great American Conference, and they have lost five straight games in Russellville since earning a 52-50 win at Tucker in the opening game of the 2003-04 season (Nov. 15, 2003)
- The Bulldogs have had success away from home this season with a 4-1 record on the road and they enter the game with a three-game winning streak
- SWOSU is currently in fourth place in the league standings, one game behind East Central for third place and two games out of the top spot, which is being held by Harding and Ouachita
- After playing seven of their first 11 conference games at home, the schedule flips on the Bulldogs, who are 20-9 in road games since Bob Battisti became the head coach
- Arkansas Tech enters the game at 9-8 overall and 4-7 in league play, tied for eighth in the current conference standings
 
The Opponent
Arkansas Tech (9-8, 4-7 GAC)
- Have dropped six straight games after opening the conference season with a 4-1 record that had them near the top of the standings heading into January
- Three of their last four defeats have come on their home floor, Tucker Coliseum, where they are 3-4 this season
- Won eight straight games earlier this season after suffering an 88-63 setback against the Bulldogs in Weatherford
- Ranked sixth in the league in scoring offense, averaging 76.8 points per game while allowing their opponents to score 75.9 points per contest
- ATU has the second-best field goal percentage defense in the league by holding opponents to 42.5% shooting, trailing only SWOSU (41.8%)
- Three players average better than 10 points per game for the Wonder Boys, who are led by Marquis Yates with 16.7 points per game
- Post player Tobe Okafor is ranked second in the league in blocked shots with 27, an average of 1.6 per game
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Bob Battisti (44-29, 3rd season; 453-325 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 453-325 (.581) and he is 2-4 against Arkansas Tech as the head coach at SWOSU
 
Arkansas Tech: Doug Kline (22-23, 2nd season)
- Named the 22nd head coach in Arkansas Tech men's basketball history in June of 2014 after serving as an assistant coach at ATU for three seasons
- Led Arkansas Tech to a GAC Tournament Championship and NCAA Division II Tournament appearance in his first season
- Previously spent five seasons as the head coach at Frank Phillips College in Texas, leading the Plainsmen to an overall record of 90-60 and one conference championship
 
The Series
GAC History Only
      Date                Location                            Score             
      *1/12/2012       Weatherford, Okla.           L 72-78
      *2/9/2012         Russellville, Ark.               L 73-80
      3/4/2012          Bartlesville, Okla.              L 58-69
      *1/5/2013         Russellville, Ark.               L 52-69
      *2/7/2013         Weatherford, Okla.           L 57-60
      3/9/2013          Bartlesville, Okla.              L 51-56
      *1/4/2014         Weatherford, Okla.           W 63-38
      *2/6/2014         Russellville, Ark.               L 77-85
      *12/17/2014     Russellville, Ark.               L 65-69
      *2/5/2014         Weatherford, Okla.           L 65-69
      3/7/2015          Bartlesville, Okla.              L 74-85
      *11/19/2015     Weatherford, Okla.           W 88-63
*GAC Conference Meeting
 
Last Time Out
- Martell Collins, Markeise Champion and Juwan Newmen all scored career-highs, combining for 67 points in SWOSU's 82-70 victory over Oklahoma Baptist on Saturday
- SWOSU went on an 11-0 run in the second half after falling behind briefly and controlled the final eight minutes to finish off the victory
- Collins scored 29 points, setting a new career-high for the second straight game, while Newmen has a huge double-double with 16 points and 19 rebounds
 
SWOSU Notes
- Martell Collins became the first Bulldog this season to be named GAC Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 26.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game and helping SWOSU go 3-0 against in-state foes last week
- The Bulldogs averaged 87.0 points per game last week after being held to 65 points or less in three of their previous four games
- Juwan Newmen has led the Bulldogs in rebounding in five straight games and he now ranks second in the league with 122 rebounds (8.1/game) for the year
- Markeise Champion is second on the team with 15.6 points per game and he's ranked sixth in NCAA Division II with 61 made three-pointers, an average of 3.6 per game
- Nick Shoemaker had his streak of games with multiple three's made snapped at five on Saturday, but he remains SWOSU's third-leading three-point shooter with 26 made this year
- SWOSU maintains a slim lead on the rest of the GAC with 73 blocked shots, an average of 4.3 per game, behind Ayo Ojo (22 blocks), Newmen (16) and Emeche Wells (11)
 
Looking Ahead
- SWOSU concludes their weekend road trip in Arkansas on Saturday with a trip up to Searcy to face Harding
- The Bulldogs will play four of their final nine games at home, beginning on February 4th against Arkansas-Monticello