Box Score (html)
WEATHERFORD, Okla. – SWOSU Women's Basketball defeated Arkansas Tech 90-79 on Saturday in the NCAA Division II Showcase aired on the American Sports Network. The win completes the regular-regular sweep over Arkansas Tech, the first time the Lady Dawgs have done so in the Great American Conference's short history dating back to 2012.
SWOSU jumped out to a 13-point lead by the end of the first quarter after holding the Golden Suns to just 16% shooting (3-for-19) while forcing ATU to commit six turnovers through the first 10 minutes of play. The Lady Bulldogs extended that lead to 19 at 43-24 by halftime by shooting 42% in the second quarter behind
Hayden Priddy and
Hailey Tucker's scoring, netting a combined 18 points combined.
Trailing big out of the locker room, Arkansas Tech came out firing in the third quarter and reduced their deficit to single-digits by the end of the frame at 62-54 by putting up 30 points and holding SWOSU to a quarter-low 19.
Tyra Aska opened the final quarter with a physical drive to the lane, laying it off the glass to push the lead back to double-digits where the margin would stay for nearly the entire final 10 minutes. The Golden Suns attempted to get many runs going in attempts shift momentum, but SWOSU answered with their highest scoring quarter of the game by shooting 9-for-17 (53%) and deflating any comeback by ATU. The Dawgs would lead by as many as 15, and ended the game in front by 11.
Free throws were a major factor in SWOSU's performance, as the Lady Bulldogs got to the line 33 times in the contest and knocked down 30 of those ending with a season-high 91% from the charity stripe. Bulldog sophomore standouts Priddy and Tucker led the way offensively, each collecting double-doubles by posting double-digit points and rebounds. Priddy scored a career-high 29 points, grabbed 10 boards, dished out five assists and collected one steal. Her 29 points also tied
Tyra Aska for the highest scoring game by a Bulldog this season. Tucker ended with 17 points, a game-high 14 rebounds, two assists and a steal to her credit. Aska contributed 14 points and five assists followed by
Whitney Dunn with 12 points and five rebounds.
The Lady Bulldogs dominated on the glass, outrebounding Tech 46-36 including 12 offensive rebounds that led to 17 second-chance points. SWOSU ended at exactly 45% in field goal percentage, good enough for their fourth-highest shooting percentage this season.
With the win, SWOSU moves to 3-1 this season against ranked opponents and ends the week with their second-consecutive win over a top-25 foe after topping Harding 80-79 on Thursday night. They also become just the second team in the GAC's history to sweep Arkansas Tech with Harding as the only other opponent to do so back in the 2013-14 season.
"I'm so proud of my team," Head Coach
Kelsi Musick said about her team's performance. "Our youth has been a blessing and curse all season, and this week it sure was a blessing. We stuck to our defensive game plan and our energy and effort was great on both sides of the court. The crowd and atmosphere in the Pioneer Cellular Event Center was phenomenal today! This was a great week for Bulldog Basketball!"
SWOSU (12-6, 8-4 GAC) will now hit the road for the next three games including a two-game stretch in Arkansas next week. The Lady Bulldogs play Southern Arkansas next Thursday (Feb. 2) and Arkansas-Monticello two days later on Saturday (Feb. 4). The following week SWOSU will travel down I40 to face Southern Nazarene before finally returning to Weatherford where they will play six of their final seven games inside the Pioneer Cellular Event Center.
