Setting the Stage- With just two games remaining in the 2015-16 regular season, the SWOSU Women's Basketball team looks to cement their seeding at the GAC Tournament when they face Henderson State on Thursday evening in Arkadelphia
- SWOSU is currently in a three-way tie for second place in the league standings at 13-7, two games ahead of a trio of teams that are tied for fifth place at 11-9
- One win this weekend assures the Lady Bulldogs of a top-four seed at the GAC Tournament while winning both games would set up SWOSU as one of the top three seeds at the event
- While SWOSU leads the overall series against Henderson State 8-3 since the formation of the Great American Conference, the Lady Bulldogs have struggled in Arkadelphia where they are 1-3 with two straight defeats on the road against the Reddies
- SWOSU has dominated the series on Oklahoma soil, however, with a 5-0 record at home in Weatherford and a 2-0 record against HSU at the GAC Tournament in Bartlesville
- The Lady Bulldogs are looking to complete a season sweep of the Reddies for the first time since 2012-13, having downed HSU 97-87 last month in Weatherford
The OpponentHenderson State (12-14, 11-9 GAC)- Have won three of their last four games, with their lone loss against GAC leader Arkansas Tech, since snapping a four-game losing streak two weeks ago
- One of three teams currently tied for fifth place in the GAC standings, two games behind SWOSU in second place
- Looking to improve on their home record, which has seen the Reddies go 7-4 in games played at the Duke Wells Center this season
- Ranked seventh in the GAC in scoring offense, averaging 69.0 points per game, but they have been outscored by their opponents by an average of 2.2 points per contest
- The Reddies are led by Dulincia Keener, who ranks in the top five in the GAC in scoring (17.8 ppg/5th) and rebounding (9.1 rpg/4th)
- Other top scorers for HSU include Victoria Stewart (12.6 points per game) and Haleigh Henson (11.1 ppg)
The CoachesSWOSU: Kelsi Musick (107-89; 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 8-4 against Henderson State as the head coach of the Lady Bulldogs, including a 1-3 mark against the Reddies in Arkadelphia during GAC play
Henderson State: Jill Thomas (35-45; 3rd season)- In her third season leading the Henderson State women's basketball program, helping the Reddies to records of 10-17 and 13-14 in her first two years
- Coached two-time GAC Defender of the Year Aungelique Sledge, who was also an all-region selection and Academic All-American
- Previously spent four years as the head coach at Pfeiffer University in North Carolina from 2009-13, earning the 2013 Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year award after guiding the Lady Falcons to their first-ever NCAA Regional Tournament win
The Series GAC History Only Date Location Score *1/5/2012 Arkadelphia, Ark. L 69-82
*2/2/2012 Weatherford, Okla. W 77-56
*1/17/2013 Arkadelphia, Ark. W 90-81
*2/21/2013 Weatherford, Okla. W 76-70
3/7/2013 Bartlesville, Okla. W 69-59
*1/16/2014 Weatherford, Okla. W 90-82
*2/20/2014 Arkadelphia, Ark. L 97-101 (2 OT)
3/7/2014 Bartlesville, Okla. W 66-60
*1/15/2015 Arkadelphia, Ark. L 73-85
*2/21/2015 Weatherford, Okla. W 116-108
*1/7/2016 Weatherford, Okla. W 97-87
*GAC Conference Meeting Last Time Out- The Lady Bulldogs had their five-game winning streak snapped on Saturday at Oklahoma Baptist, who outlasted SWOSU 85-81 in overtime
- SWOSU got 24 points and 16 rebounds from
Janae Coffee but Oklahoma Baptist countered with three players who recorded a double-double
- SWOSU took the lead twice in overtime, but hit just 1-of-6 free throws in the extra session while OBU converted 7-of-8 attempts from the stripe down the stretch
SWOSU Notes-
Janae Coffee recorded her tenth double-double of the season on Saturday at OBU, helping her rank second on the team with an average of 11.6 points per game and second in the GAC with 9.7 rebounds per game
- Saturday's game at OBU marked the 13th time this season the Lady Bulldogs have scored 80 points or more in a game and their scoring average of 80.5 points per game ranks second in the GAC and 12th in NCAA Division II
- The Lady Bulldogs continue to lead NCAA Division II in rebounds per game (48.9) and defensive rebounds per game (35.0) while ranking fourth in overall rebounds (1,271) and fifth in blocked shots (147.0)
- Coffee set a new career-high with six blocked shots at OBU and her 27-rebound performance at Southern Arkansas in December still ranks as the highest rebounding total in NCAA Division II this season
- SWOSU's
Hailey Tucker leads the Lady Bulldogs and ranks fifth among NCAA Division II freshmen this season with an average of 15.2 points per game
Looking Ahead- SWOSU Women's Basketball concludes the 2015-16 regular season on Saturday afternoon at Ouachita Baptist
- Postseason play will take the Lady Bulldogs to Bartlesville, Okla., on March 4-6 as they look for their third GAC Tournament Championship
