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Setting the Scene
- SWOSU Women's Basketball (0-0) begins the 2016-17 campaign Saturday night at 7 pm in Emporia, Kansas against regional power and #4/2 ranked Emporia State in the GAC/MIAA Crossover
- The following afternoon, the Lady Bulldogs will face Missouri Southern State in Emporia to conclude the crossover at 2:30 pm
- The Dawgs fell to both ESU and MSSU last year in the SWOSU classic in the first two games of the regular season
- SWOSU's game against ESU marks the fourth-consecutive year the Bulldogs will play a ranked team within the first two games of opening up their regular season

 The Opponents
#4/2 Emporia State (0-0)
- The Lady Hornets come into the new season coming off a 28-6 record and an MIAA Tournament Championship
- ESU won two games in the NCAA Tournament last year before falling to fellow MIAA foe Pittsburg State in the Sweet 16  
- Emporia State was picked to win their conference this season having finished in the top three of the MIAA or have advanced to the MIAA Tournament Championship game in each of the last 14 years and 18 of the last 19 seasons
- ESU returns three starters from last year's Sweet 16 team, led by All-American Kelly Moten. She is joined by 2016 MIAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player Kathryn Flott and 2015 MIAA Freshman of the Year Addie Lackey.

Missouri Southern State (0-0)
- The Lions come into the 2016-17 season after finishing last year in a four-way tie for sixth place in the MIAA
- MSSU saw their season come to an end after falling to Fort Hays State in the second round of the MIAA Tournament
- Missouri Southern has been tabbed for a ninth place finish in the upcoming season by the conference coaches
- The Lions will return seven players from last season's squad

 The Coaches
SWOSU: Kelsi Musick (110-91, 8th season)
- Coach Musick is a two-time GAC Coach of the Year, winning back-to-back honors for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons
- A great developer of talent, Musick has coached one All-American and 15 All-GAC selections, including one Player of the Year recipient
- She earned her 100th win as a head coach last season against rival Northwestern Oklahoma State on January 18, 2016
- Musick has won GAC Tournament Championships in two of the last five years, and made consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament in 2012-13 and 2013-14
- Coach 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 qualifi ed for the NCAA Division I National Tournament in the 2008-09 season

Emporia State: Jory Collins (153-42, 7th season)
- Collins is the first Lady Hornet coach to have six 20-win seasons in his first six years as head coach
- In his six seasons he has led Emporia State to four MIAA Tournament Championships, six conference title games, five NCAA Tournaments and five trips to the NCAA Sweet 16 including a berth in the 2015 NCAA Division II Final Four
- Coach Collins has 28 career wins against teams in the WBCA Top 25 and the Lady Hornets are 22-8 in his last 30 meetings with top 25 teams
- Collins was a member of the Lady Hornet coaching staff for ten seasons before becoming head coach and Emporia State advanced to the NCAA tournament in nine of those seasons

Missouri Southern State: Ronnie Ressel (Interim Head Coach)
- Coach Ressel was named the interim head women's basketball coach on March 22, 2016 after serving three years as an assistant with the women's program
- Ressel is entering his 15th season as part of the athletic department at Missouri Southern, serving as an assistant with both the men's and women's programs

The Series
SWOSU vs. Emporia State
ESU leads series 4-0
Date               Location                                         Score
12/15/02    Emporia, Kan.                                    L 72-78
3/14/14      Searcy, Ark. (Central Regional)            L 65-97
11/29/14    Emporia, Kan.                                     L 56-63
11/13/15    Weatherford, Okla.                               L 63-72
 
SWOSU vs. Missouri Southern State
MSSU leads series 3-0
Date               Location                                         Score
11/16/13    Joplin, Mo.                                         L 83-99
11/14/15    Weatherford, Okla.                              L 68-71
11/22/03    Joplin, Mo.                                         L 38-46

SWOSU Notes
- The Lady Bulldogs have been chosen as a third-place finisher for the upcoming season in the preseason coaches' poll after finishing the regular season last year in that same position
- SWOSU is coming off a (20-11, 14-8 GAC) season which came to an end in the GAC Tournament Championship game against Arkansas Tech 106-85
- The Lady Dawgs return two players who started at least 10 games, headlined by First Team All-GAC guard Hailey Tucker who led the team with 81 three-point made shots and averaged 15.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game last season as a freshman
- The other returner who started at least 10 games is Hayden Priddy, who averaged 9.4 points per game and nearly three assists while shooting 37 percent from the three-point line
- The Dawgs will return a total of four players from last season, while bringing in seven new faces to the mix    

Looking Ahead
- Following the GAC/MIAA Crossover in Kansas, SWOSU will turn its attention to conference play when the Bulldogs will travel to Arkansas Tech on November 17 to take on the Golden Suns for the start of the GAC season
- Two days later, the Dawgs will stay on the road to face Harding in another GAC game
- The following Saturday (November 26) SWOSU will travel to Tahlequah, Okla. to take on Northeastern State in a non-conference game before finally playing their first home game against Arkansas-Monticello on Thursday, December 1