Setting the Scene
- SWOSU Women's Basketball (2-2) takes a short break from the GAC schedule to face Northeastern State in a non-conference affair in Tahlequah, Oklahoma on Saturday starting at 1:30 pm
- The Lady Bulldogs have won two of the last three meetings against the Riverhawks including a 77-75 victory last season
- After one week of conference action, the Dawgs hold an even 1-1 record in the league tied with three other teams: Arkansas-Monticello, Southern Arkansas, and Southern Nazarene
- The game against NSU marks SWOSU's first game since last Saturday (Nov 19.)
The Opponent
Northeastern State (2-2)
- NSU finished 11th in their MIAA conference last season after finishing the year with a 8-21 overall record
- This season, the Riverhawks were also tabbed for an 11th place finish in the MIAA preseason coaches' poll
- Northeastern State currently holds a 2-2 record heading into their game against SWOSU
- NSU has two players leading their offensive attack in Rylie Torrey (17.8 ppg) and Cailyn Long (18 ppg) and are 1-1 this season against GAC opponents
The Coaches
SWOSU: Kelsi Musick (112-93, 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 qualified for the NCAA Division I National Tournament in the 2008-09 season
Northeastern State: Randy Gipson (309-184, 18th season)
- Coach Gipson has recorded 14 winning seasons in his 17 years at NSU, and he has led his program to seven appearances in the NCAA Championship
- He has coached two All-Americans, one MIAA Player of the Year, two LSC Players of the Year and numerous all-conference players during his tenure at Northeastern State
- Gipson began his career at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (NEO), where he spent 11 years leading the Lady Norse. He took NEO to a National Runner-up finish in 1991, and he was named Region II Coach of the Year three times
The Series
SWOSU vs. Northeastern State (last five meetings)
NSU leads series 3-2 since 2011
12/15/11 Tahlequah, Okla. L 58-79
02/07/12 Weatherford, Okla. L 72-84
11/13/13 Weatherford, Okla. W 96-73
12/08/14 Tahlequah, Okla. L 65-78
12/30/15 Weatherford, Okla. W 77-75
SWOSU Notes
- The Lady Dawgs had their two-game win streak shut down by Harding last Saturday (Nov. 19) after being edged by the Lady Bisons 76-72
- SWOSU has two players averaging double digit scoring:
Hailey Tucker with a team and conference high 19.8 points per game and
Hayden Priddy with a second best 12.5 points per game
- Three other players are a point away from the double digit scoring average as
Taylor Hedrick sits at 9.8 ppg,
Tyra Aska at 9.3 ppg, and
Whitney Dunn with 9 ppg
- The Dawgs look to improve on their rebounding margin, currently holding a -16.2 rebound margin against opponents
- As a squad, SWOSU is shooting nearly 40 percent from the field (39.5% on 104-263) and knocking down three-point shots at a 32-percent clip (31-96)
- The Lady Bulldogs hold an even 1-1 record against MIAA opponents so far this season having lost to Emporia State and beaten Missouri Southern State
Looking Ahead
- After starting the season with five-straight road games, the Lady Bulldogs will finally play a home contest inside the Pioneer Cellular Event Center against GAC foe Arkansas-Monticello at 5:30 pm on Thursday, December 1
- Two days later, SWOSU will host Southern Arkansas with a 3 pm tipoff on Saturday
