---

Southern Arkansas (11-9, 8-6 GAC) at SWOSU (12-8, 8-6 GAC) Saturday, February 6, 2:00 pm Weatherford, Okla. (Pioneer Cellular Event Center) Live Stats  |  Watch Live  |  Listen Live SWOSU Game Notes (pdf)

Setting the Stage
- SWOSU looks for their fourth consecutive victory at the Pioneer Cellular Event Center on Saturday afternoon when they host Southern Arkansas at 2:00 pm
- The Bulldogs are coming off a high-scoring 103-92 victory over Arkansas-Monticello on Thursday evening, while Southern Arkansas needed a last-second three-pointer to defeat Northwestern Oklahoma State 59-56
- By virtue of victories from both teams, SWOSU and Southern Arkansas remain tied for fourth place in the GAC standings -- along with Southern Nazarene -- at 8-6
- SWOSU is looking for the season-sweep of SAU after earlier defeating the Muleriders 77-74 back in Magnolia, but the road team has won three straight meetings in the series
- The Bulldogs are 3-1 at home against Southern Arkansas in Great American Conference play, with their lone defeat last season by a score of 81-73
- SAU is strong away from home with a 6-3 record in true road games while SWOSU holds their home court with an 8-5 record this season
 
The Opponent
Southern Arkansas (11-9, 8-6 GAC)
- Have won two of their last three games following back-to-back losses against the top two teams in the GAC standings, Ouachita and Harding
- Tied alongside SWOSU and Southern Nazarene for fourth place in the league standings at 8-6, two games behind East Central in third and two games clear of two teams tied for seventh
- Averaging 75.7 points per game while ranking fourth in the league by holding opponents to 74.0 points per for a scoring margin of +1.7
- Near the top of the league rankings for field goal percentage, shooting 46.1% from the field this season but they rank 10th in three-point field goal shooting at 33.2%
- Strong in the paint, where they outrebound their opponents by 5.5 per game, grab 12.2 offensive rebounds per game and rank third in the league with 71 blocked shots (3.6/game)
- Balanced offensive attack has five players averaging better than 10.0 points per game, led by Jaron Davis (14.6 ppg), CJ Elkins (11.7 ppg) and Deon Andrews (11.4 ppg)
- Alvin Braddock leads the GAC in field goal percentage (60.7%) and ranks second in offensive rebounds (53)
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Bob Battisti (45-31, 3rd season; 454-327 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 454-327 (.581) and he is 4-2 against Southern Arkansas as the head coach at SWOSU
 
Southern Arkansas: Andy Sharpe (48-54, 4th season)
- In his fourth season as the head coach at Southern Arkansas, where he has helped the Muleriders increase their win total in each season
- Led the Muleriders to their first winning season since 2001-02 last season, winning 15 games and tying for third place in the GAC standings
- Came to SAU from Martin Methodist College, where he made three trips to the NAIA National Tournament in five seasons, including a Final Four run in 2011
 
The Series
GAC History Only
      Date                Location                            Score             
      *1/21/2012       Magnolia, Ark.                   W 62-56
      *2/18/2012       Weatherford, Okla.           W 74-65
      *12/1/2012       Weatherford, Okla.           W 61-58
      *1/31/2013       Magnolia, Ark.                   L 66-69 (OT)
      *11/23/2013     Magnolia, Ark.                   W 76-68
      *1/30/2014       Weatherford, Okla.           W 72-63
      3/6/2014          Bartlesville, Okla.              L 59-63
      *1/10/2015       Weatherford, Okla.           L 73-81
      *2/14/2015       Magnolia, Ark.                   W 76-70
      *12/5/2015       Magnolia, Ark.                   W 77-74
*GAC Conference Meeting
 
Last Time Out
- Markeise Champion combined for 50 points and led SWOSU to their highest-scoring game at the Pioneer Cellular Event Center on Thursday night, a 103-92 victory over Arkansas-Monticello
- Champion scored a career-high 28 points, going a perfect 6-for-6 from three-point range for the second time this season to lead the Dawgs
- The Bulldogs finished with 22 assists on 38 made baskets, their second-highest assist total for the year
 
SWOSU Notes
- Martell Collins is now the GAC's fourth-leading scorer (18.1 ppg) after dropping 22 points on Arkansas-Monticello for his fifth 20-point effort in the past six games
- Champion knocked down all six of his three-point efforts on Thursday, tying a school record he shares with Rod Camphor for most three's in a game without a miss
- Champion leads the GAC and ranks fourth in NCAA Division II with 72 made three-pointers this season, an average of 3.6 per game
- Juwan Newmen returned to his double-double form with 10 points and 11 rebounds on Thursday, his fourth double-double in a Bulldog uniform
- Collin Jennings knocked down 5-of-10 field goal attempts against UAM for 16 points, giving him an average of 12.7 points per game in the last three outings
- Ayo Ojo returned to the starting lineup and scored three points with three rebounds on Thursday while also adding his team-leading 23rd block shot of the year
- Nick Shoemaker broke his three-game streak of three points or less with 3-for-6 shooting from long range and nine points against UAM
 
Looking Ahead
- Road action takes SWOSU to Ada on Thursday to face East Central in a conference clash of Oklahoma foes
- The Bulldogs then return home next Saturday to face Southern Nazarene before playing four of their final five games on the road