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Ouachita Baptist (3-8, 3-2 GAC) at SWOSU (8-3, 4-1 GAC) Saturday, January 9, 3:00 pm Weatherford, Okla. (Pioneer Cellular Event Center) Live Stats  |  Watch Live  |  Live Audio SWOSU Game Notes (pdf)

Setting the Stage
- SWOSU Basketball must bounce back quickly following their first conference loss when they face the defending league champions, Ouachita Baptist, on Saturday afternoon
- The Bulldogs suffered their worst loss of the season on Thursday, falling 77-52 to Henderson State at home
- SWOSU is now in a three-way tie for first place in the GAC standings at 4-1, tied with Arkansas Tech and Harding, both teams the Bulldogs have defeated this season
- The Bulldogs are 5-3 at the Pioneer Cellular Event Center this season, while Ouachita is 2-4 in true road games and 2-6 overall away from home
- Saturday's game is a rematch of the 2015 GAC Tournament quarterfinal matchup that saw the Bulldogs upset the top-seeded Tigers 71-67 in overtime, becoming the first No. 8-seed to win a game at the conference tournament
- SWOSU is 3-1 in conference home games against Ouachita, with their lone defeat coming almost exactly one year ago, on January 8, 2015
 
The Opponent
Ouachita Baptist (3-8, 3-2 GAC)
- Snapped a four-game losing streak on Thursday night with an 87-73 victory over Northwestern Oklahoma State in Alva
- All three of their victories have come in conference games, but they have battled a tough non-conference schedule that included defeats against top-ten foes Tarleton State and Midwestern State
- Sixth-best scoring team in the conference, averaging 76.6 points per game while allowing 76.9 points per contest for a scoring margin of -0.3
- Top free throw shooting team in the GAC, having connected on 77.1% (182-of-236) of their attempts from the stripe this season
- Also one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the league, connecting from long range at a 39.9% (93-of-233) clip
- Led in scoring by Lakee Westbrook, who is averaging 17.4 points per game, and Justin McCleary at 14.8 points per contests
- Reigning GAC Player of the Year Tirrell Brown is the Tigers third-leading scorer at 12.9 points per game, and their top rebounder with 6.3 boards per contest
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Bob Battisti (41-26, 3rd season; 450-322 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 450-322 (.585) and he is 3-2 against Ouachita Baptist while coaching the Bulldogs
 
Ouachita Baptist: Dennis Nutt (65-55, 5th season)
- A former NBA player with the Dallas Mavericks, now in his fifth season as the head coach at Ouachita Baptist after previously coaching for six seasons at Texas State
- Led the Tigers to the 2014-15 GAC regular season championship and the 2013 GAC Tournament Championship
- Has also been an assistant coach at Coastal Carolina, Arkansas State and Westark Community College, as well as a graduate assistant coach at Texas A&M
 
The Series
      Date                Location                            Score             
      *1/7/2012         Arkadelphia, Ark.              L 56-68
      *2/5/2012         Weatherford, Okla.           W 79-53
      *1/19/2013       Arkadelphia, Ark.              L 52-58
      *2/23/2013       Weatherford, Okla.           W 75-63
      *1/18/2014       Weatherford, Okla.           W 72-68
      *2/22/2014       Arkadelphia, Ark.              W 67-63
      *1/8/2015         Weatherford, Okla.           L 58-66
      *2/12/2015       Arkadelphia, Ark.              L 63-89
      3/6/2015          Bartlesville, Okla.              W 71-67 (OT)
*GAC Conference Meeting
 
Last Time Out
- SWOSU scored the first basket of the game, but they would never lead again as Henderson State handed the Bulldogs their first conference defeat of the season on Thursday night
- The Bulldogs tied a season-high with 17 turnovers and shot just 34% from the field, including  5-of-23 (21.7%) shooting from three-point range
- Martell Collins and Markeise Champion scored 12 points apiece to lead the team, with Ayo Ojo adding 10 points and six rebounds
 
SWOSU Notes
- Five players scored in double figures for the Bulldogs in their upset win of Ouachita in the GAC Tournament last season, including Martell Collins (13 points), Ayo Ojo (11) and Emeche Wells (11)
- The Bulldogs played without Wells on Thursday for the first time this season, missing their third-leading scorer (12.1 ppg), fourth-leading rebounder (4.7 rpg) and the GAC's leader in steals (25)
- Collins scored 12 points for the third straight game on Thursday against Henderson State and he currently leads the team with an average of 14.9 points per game
- Markeise Champion has joined the starting lineup for the past two games, averaging 16.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in those contests
- Champion leads the GAC with 41 3-point field goals made and his 3-point percentage of 48.2% (41-of-85) is the second-best mark in the league
- SWOSU leads the GAC in blocked shots with 50, led by Ayo Ojo (10), Wells (11) and Juwan Newmen (10)
- Collin Jennings has been held scoreless in SWOSU's last two defeats, but he still ranks as the Bulldogs fourth-leading scorer with 9.0 points per game for the year
- The Bulldogs field goal defense is ranked second in the league as they hold opponents to 40.8% shooting from the field this season
 
Looking Ahead
- The Bulldogs conclude their six-game home stand next Thursday against East Central before going on the road to Southern Nazarene next Saturday
- SWOSU is then back on their home court on Monday, January 18 for rivalry action against Northwestern Oklahoma State