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Setting the Scene
- SWOSU Men's Basketball returns to action on Saturday afternoon at the Pioneer Cellular Event Center with a conference matchup against Henderson State
- The Bulldogs enter the game at 1-2 (0-1 GAC) following a two-point defeat at the hands of Ouachita on Thursday evening
- SWOSU tied the game with 18 seconds to play on a three-pointer from Jerry Hurt, but Ouachita got the game-winning basket with 2.5 seconds remaining to get the win
- Next up for the Bulldogs is Henderson State, who has a matching record following a 77-63 defeat on Thursday night at Northwestern Oklahoma State
- Henderson State has won four straight meetings in the series and they are 4-2 against the Bulldogs in Weatherford since the formation of the Great American Conference
 
The Opponent
Henderson State (1-2, 0-1 GAC)
- The Reddies enter the contest with a record of 1-2, defeating Minnesota State-Moorhead in their season opener before back-to-back losses against Minot State and Northwestern Oklahoma State
- Henderson State is averaging 68.7 points per game with a trio of scorers averaging better than 10 points per game, led by Josh Jones at 16.7 points per contest
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Bob Battisti (57-59, 5th season; 466-355 career, 29th season)
- In his fifth season as the head coach of the Bulldogs, having led SWOSU to at least 16 wins in three of his first four years at the helm
- Has coached five players at SWOSU that earned All-GAC distinction, including one GAC Player of the Year and one GAC Defensive Player of the Year
- In 28 years as a head coach, Battisti has a career record of 466-355 (.582) and he is 4-4 against Henderson State as the head coach at SWOSU
 
Henderson State: Jimmy Elgas (26-33, 3rd season)
- Led the Reddies to a seven-win improvement in his second season, finishing 16-13 and returning to the GAC Tournament for the first time since 2013-14
- Elgas has an impressive resume which includes stops at numerous NCAA Division I programs, including Evansville, Utah, Kansas State and Texas State
 
Checking the Standings
- Five teams remain unblemished on the year just over one week into the 2017-18 season, led by Arkansas-Monticello and Northwestern Oklahoma State at 3-0
- Joining those two teams in winning their conference openers on Thursday night were East Central, Ouachita, Southern Nazarene and Southeastern Oklahoma State
- After dropping their GAC opener, SWOSU is tied with five other teams who are still searching for their first league win of the season
 
The Series (GAC Era)
Date                Location                     Score
*1/5/2012         Arkadelphia, Ark.        L 80-86
*2/2/2012         Weatherford, Okla.     L 73-77
3/1/2012          Bartlesville, Okla.        W 81-60
*1/17/2013       Arkadelphia, Ark.        W 90-84
*2/21/2013       Weatherford, Okla.     L 55-59
*1/16/2014       Weatherford, Okla.     W 79-76
*2/20/2014       Arkadelphia, Ark.        W 79-74 (2 OT)
*1/15/2015       Arkadelphia, Ark.        W 73-60
*2/21/2015       Weatherford, Okla.     W 74-56
*1/7/2016         Weatherford, Okla.     L 52-77
*2/25/2016       Arkadelphia, Ark         L 56-75
*1/5/2017         Arkadelphia, Ark.        L 61-87
*2/25/2017       Weatherford, Okla.     L 91-97
NCAA Division II Era: Henderson State leads 7-6
In Weatherford: Henderson State leads 4-2
In Arkadelphia: Series Tied 3-3
 
SWOSU Notes
- Jerry Hurt scored a career-high 22 points in the Bulldogs game against Ouachita on Thursday, leading SWOSU in scoring for the second time in three games this season
- Hurt, who ranks as SWOSU's leading scorer with 16.7 points per game, also posted season highs with five rebounds, four assists and three steals in 38 minutes against the Tigers
- Nick Shoemaker was the only other Bulldog to reach double figures in scoring, putting in 10 points on 2-for-4 shooting from long range while making all four of his free throw attempts
- SWOSU's leading scorer entering the game, Justin King, was held scoreless by Ouachita and fouled out in just 16 minutes of action
- The Bulldogs 36.8% (14-of-38) field goal shooting is their lowest of the season, but SWOSU did connect on a season-high 26 free throw attempts while shooting 72.2% from the stripe
- Charles Beauregard Jr. had nine points in 24 minutes against Ouachita and he ranks as SWOSU's second-leading scorer with 12.0 points per game
 
Looking Ahead
- SWOSU concludes a three-game home stand on Tuesday against Rogers State, with tipoff slated for 7:00 pm at the Pioneer Cellular Event Center
- Following a short break for Thanksgiving, the Bulldogs head to Lawton next Saturday (Nov. 25) to face Cameron at 3:00 pm