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Setting the Scene
- SWOSU Women's Basketball (5-0) will be looking to tie their best start to a season since the 2010-11 season when they take on Northeastern State at home on Saturday afternoon
- The Lady Bulldogs are set to take on the Riverhawks inside the Pioneer Cellular Event Center at 2 pm
- Dating back to 2011, SWOSU is just 2-4 against NSU and is winless in Weatherford against the Riverhawks at 0-3
- Last season, the Lady Dawgs snapped a four-game losing streak to Northeastern State with a close 84-78 victory in Tahlequah -- a game where Tyra Aska scored a career best 29 points (tied for best on the team all season)
 
The Opponent
Northeastern State (3-1)
- The Riverhawks enter Saturday's matchup with three wins and one loss and a 2-1 record against schools in the Great American Conference this season
- The offense is averaging 76.5 points per game, led by four players in double figures including Destiny Strange at 15.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest
- The Riverhawks shoot 43.4% from the floor including 39.1% from beyond the arc, averaging nine made three point shots per game in the early going of the season
- They enter the 2017-18 season with a new coach, Fala Bullock

The Coaches
SWOSU: Kelsi Musick (135-101, 9th season)
- Two-time GAC Coach of the Year, winning back-to-back honors for the '11-12 and '12-13 seasons and she has now led the Lady Bulldogs to four 20-win seasons after a 20-10 finish a year ago
- Musick has coached two All-Americans and 18 All-GAC selections, including two Player of the Years (Darcie Dick, 2012 / Hailey Tucker, 2017) and one Freshman of the Year (Hailey Tucker, 2016)
- Musick has led SWOSU to four GAC Tournament Championship games with two GAC Tournament Championships (2012, 2014) and two NCAA Division II Tournament appearances (2013, 2014) to her credit
- In nine seasons at SWOSU, Musick has a career record of 135-101, including a mark of 3-7 against NSU all-time
 
Northeastern State: Fala Bullock (3-1; 1st season)
- Bullock has spent the last four seasons (2013-17) as head coach at NCAA Division II Armstrong State University, where she recorded a career mark of 60-52
- Bullock replaces Randy Gipson who retired at the conclusion of the 2016-17 season after leading the NSU women's basketball program for 18 years
 
Checking the Conference Standings
1. SWOSU 5-0, 2-0
    Arkansas Tech 4-0, 2-0
    Southern Nazarene 3-0, 2-0
    Northwestern 3-2, 2-0
5. East Central 1-1, 1-1
    Arkansas-Monticello 3-2, 1-1
    Oklahoma Baptist 2-2, 1-1
    Southeastern 2-2, 1-1
9. Henderson State 1-3, 0-2
    Ouachita,  1-3, 0-2
    Harding 1-4, 0-2
    Southern Arkansas 0-4, 0-2
 
The Series
Date                Location                                           Score
12/15/2011      Tahlequah, Okla. ....................... W 85-82
02/07/2012      Weatherford, Okla. .................... L 87-101
11/13/2013      Weatherford, Okla. ...................... L 74-79
12/08/2014      Tahlequah, Okla. ......................... L 76-82
12/30/2015      Weatherford, Okla. ............. L 66-70 (OT)
11/26/2017      Tahlequah, Okla......................... W 84-78
 
Previous 6 meetings only
NSU leads series 4-2 since 2011
In Weatherford: NSU leads 3-0
In Tahlequah: SWOSU leads 2-1


SWOSU Notes
- SWOSU won its fifth straight game on Wednesday against Cameron on the road, a game in which the Lady Bulldogs missed the century mark by two points for a season best 98 points
- The offense shot a season best 54.8% from the floor, but only hit six three-pointers on the day -- just one above their season low
- The Dawgs also allowed a season high 81 points in an up-tempo game, despite still winning decisively
- Last season's duo of Hailey Tucker and Hayden Priddy came alive against the Aggies after the two combined for 53 points on 19-of-31 (61.2%) shooting
- The starting five was on dsiplay as well, accounting for 87 of the 98 points scored on the afternoon
- Bethany Franks was active on defense, coming away with her best mark of the season of four steals and added a block to the mix
- After the 98-point performance, SWOSU upped its season average to 83.6 points per game, ranking them 17th in the nation in that category and just under three points away from ranking in the top-10
- In the first released polls of the new season, SWOSU found itself receiving votes in both the WBCA and D2SIDA Polls just outside of the top-25

Looking Ahead
- Next week SWOSU hits the road to Arkansas to continue GAC action, taking on Arkansas Tech and Harding in typical Thursday night/Saturday afternoon fashion