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GAC TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP (3) SWOSU (20-10) vs. (1) #15 Arkansas Tech (25-3) Sunday, March 6, 3:30 pm Live Stats  |  Watch Live (ESPN3/WatchESPN)  |  Live Audio SWOSU Game Notes (pdf)

Setting the Stage
- SWOSU Women's Basketball has advanced to the Great American Conference Tournament Championship for the fourth time in five seasons and the Lady Bulldogs will face the top seed in the tournament, Arkansas Tech on Sunday at 3:30 pm in Bartlesville
- This will be the second time the Lady Bulldogs have faced Arkansas Tech in the championship game, with ATU earning a 70-66 overtime victory in 2013
- SWOSU improved to 4-0 all-time in the GAC Tournament Semifinals with a 79-63 victory over East Central on Saturday night while Arkansas Tech eliminated Southern Arkansas from the tournament with a 99-85 victory
- The Lady Bulldogs are 2-1 all-time in the championship game, with both tournament victories occurring in even years (2012, def. Harding 69-58; 2014, def. Harding 78-74)
- Sunday's GAC Championship games will be broadcast on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app, making women's basketball the second SWOSU team to be showcased on the network, joining football (Live United Texarkana Bowl)
 
The Opponent
Arkansas Tech (25-3)
- After surviving in a thriller against Arkansas-Monticello, winning 60-58 in the final seconds, ATU advanced to their third GAC Championship game with a 99-85 victory over Southern Arkansas on Saturday
- GAC Player of the Year Fatima Adams scored a career-high 43 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead ATU past Southern Arkansas
- The Golden Suns lead the conference by scoring 83.8 points per game for the year and they are outscoring their opponents by an average of 20.5 points per game
- Five different ATU players averaged 10.0 ppg or better against SWOSU this year, led by Adams who averaged a double-double with 17.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game
- Arkansas Tech knocked down 15-of-42 (35%) three-point attempts against SWOSU this year while holding the Lady Dawgs to 6-of-34 (17%) shooting from long range
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Kelsi Musick (110-90; 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 2-11 against Arkansas Tech as the head coach of the Lady Bulldogs and she's 10-2 in her career at the GAC Tournament, including a 0-1 mark against ATU in Bartlesville
 
Arkansas Tech: Dave Wilbers (216-57; 9th season)
- In his ninth season at Arkansas Tech, where he has won at least 20 games in six seasons, including two 30-win seasons
- Has led his teams to at least a share of the GAC regular season championship three times in the league's first four years
- Has guided five of his teams to the NCAA Division II national tournament, including a berth in the Elite Eight in 2010
 
The Series
GAC History Only
      Date                Location                            Score             
      *1/12/2012       Weatherford, Okla.           W 85-82
      *2/9/2012         Russellville, Ark.               L 87-101
      *1/5/2013         Russellville, Ark.               L 74-79
      *2/7/2013         Weatherford, Okla.           L 76-82
      3/10/2013        Bartlesville, Okla.              L 66-70 (OT)
      *1/4/2014         Weatherford, Okla.           W 89-71
      *2/6/2014         Russellville, Ark.               L 54-78
      *12/17/2014     Russellville, Ark.               L 52-97
      *2/5/2015         Weatherford, Okla.           L 62-64 (OT)
      *11/19/2015     Weatherford, Okla.           L 73-94
      *1/26/2016       Russellville, Ark.               L 69-91
*GAC Conference Meeting
 
The Season Series
- Arkansas Tech was one of two conference teams to sweep SWOSU this season, scoring better than 90 points in each matchup and outscoring the Lady Bulldogs by an average of 21.5 points per game
- Jennifer Williams was SWOSU's top performer against the Golden Suns, averaging 14.0 points per game off the bench in two matchups
- SWOSU's leading scorer, Hailey Tucker, was limited to a combined 16 points in two matchups against Arkansas Tech
 
SWOSU Notes
- SWOSU freshman Hayden Priddy has sparked the Lady Bulldogs in the conference tournament, scoring a career-high 27 points in the semifinal win over East Central
- Priddy is averaging 21.0 points, 6.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game in her first collegiate postseason tournament
- Hailey Tucker was held without a made three-pointer for just the seventh time this season on Saturday, but she's still averaging 17.0 points per game in her first GAC Tournament, played in her hometown of Bartlesville
- With three made three-pointers against Southeastern Tucker moved into third in single-season made three's with 78, leaving her one behind Michelle Fisher (79, 2012-13) heading into Saturday's game
- Janae Coffee has set a new single-season SWOSU and Great American Conference record with 129 offensive rebounds
- Morgan Vogt set a new postseason career-high with 17 points against East Central on Saturday, hitting 6-of-11 field goals and 3-of-6 three-point attempts
 
Looking Ahead
- The winner of Sunday's GAC Tournament Championship game moves on to the NCAA Division II Central Region Tournament next week, while the loser must wait to find out their postseason fate