SWOSU (3-10, 1-6 GAC) at Southeastern (7-6, 6-2 GAC)
Saturday, Jan. 13, 3:00 pm
 Durant, Okla. (Bloomer Sullivan Arena)
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Game Notes (pdf)
 

Setting the Scene
- For the first time in more than a month, SWOSU Men's Basketball plays a road game this Saturday against Southeastern Oklahoma State in Durant
- SWOSU is 1-3 on the road this season, with their victory coming in the last road game at Harding (71-70) back on December 2nd
- The Bulldogs finished their five-game home stand with a record of 1-4 after dropping a heartbreaker to East Central by a score of 89-88 on Thursday night
- After trailing by 14 in the second half, SWOSU came all the way back and had a shot to win at the buzzer that rolled around and fell off the rim
- SWOSU is now 3-10 on the year and 1-6 in Great American Conference play while Southeastern has won three straight league games to improve to 6-2 in GAC action
- SWOSU and Southeastern have split 12 meetings as GAC foes, with the Savage Storm sweeping the season series last year
 
The Opponent
Southeastern Okla. (7-6, 6-2 GAC)
- The Savage Storm have overcome a slow start to win five of their last seven games and improve to 6-2 in GAC play after beating Oklahoma Baptist at the buzzer on Thursday night
- Southeastern is led in scoring by Markell Henderson, who averages 14.8 points per game, while Kevin Buckinham adds 12.3 points and a team-best 5.8 rebounds per contest
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Kris Johnson (1-3, 1st season) * Interim
- Named the interim head coach at SWOSU for the remainder of the 2017-18 season on December 13 following the retirement of head coach Bob Battisti
- Now in his seventh season as an assistant coach at SWOSU, including the last four-plus years as the lead assistant to Battisti
- A native of Kansas City, Mo., Johnson came to SWOSU following a four-year playing career at Northwestern Oklahoma State
 
Southeastern Okla.: Kelly Green (81-100, 7th season)
- Green is in his seventh season at Southeastern, where he has guided the Savage Storm to the postseason four times
- Has coached nine all-conference honorees, including four first team selections
- Came to Southeastern after spending 14 seasons as the head coach at Arizona Western, winning 342 games and leading his team to 13 playoff appearances
 
Checking the Standings
- Southern Nazarene continues to sit atop the GAC standings with an unblemished mark of 8-0 after defeating Northwestern Oklahoma State on Thursday
- East Central is the lone remaining team with one conference loss, sitting second at 6-2, one game ahead of Southeastern and Northwestern in the loss column
- Arkansas Tech sits fifth at 4-3 while a trio of teams – Arkansas-Monticello, Oklahoma Baptist and Ouachita – are tied for sixth at 3-4
- Victories by Henderson State and Southern Arkansas helped both teams break a tie with SWOSU in the standings, leaving the Bulldogs alone in 11th place at 1-6
 
The Series (GAC Era)
Date                Location                     Score
*1/26/2012       Weatherford, Okla.      L 68-92
*2/23/2012       Durant, Okla.             L 57-64
*1/10/2013       Weatherford, Okla.     W 82-71
*2/16/2013       Durant, Okla.             L 51-70
*1/9/2014         Durant, Okla.             W 72-70
*2/15/2014       Weatherford, Okla.     W 82-76
*1/3/2015         Durant, Okla.             W 61-60
*2/28/2015       Weatherford, Okla.      L 73-83
*1/20/2016       Durant, Okla.             W 89-82
*2/18/2016       Weatherford, Okla.     W 79-68
*1/18/2017       Weatherford, Okla.      L 62-75
*2/18/2017       Durant, Okla.             L 59-86
 
GAC Era: Series Tied 6-6
In Weatherford: Series Tied 3-3
In Durant: Series Tied 3-3
 
SWOSU Notes
- Devin Pugh scored a team-high 19 points against East Central, marking his fifth straight game in double figures and upping his scoring average to 12.0 points per game for the year
- Pugh currently ranks fifth in the GAC in free throw percentage, knocking down 82.5% (33-40) of his attempts this season
- SWOSU has made 123 three-pointers this season, ranking third in the conference while shooting 37.6% (123-327) from long range
- Daniel Eibel knocked down 5-of-6 threes against East Central, finishing with 15 points against the Tigers and he's now scored 10 or more points in three of the last four games
- SWOSU's leading scorer, Charles Beauregard, Jr., was limited to nine points in 19 minutes and fouled out for the fifth time this season against ECU
- Nick Shoemaker connected on 3-of-11 three-point attempts against ECU, extending his streak to 28 consecutive games with a made three-pointer
- Collin Jennings stuffed the stat sheet against ECU, finishing with 12 points, seven rebounds and a career-high nine assists to go along with three steals
 
Looking Ahead
- The Bulldogs return to the Pioneer Cellular Event Center on Monday evening for a rivalry matchup against Northwestern Oklahoma State
- SWOSU then takes on Southern Nazarene on Wednesday before heading to Shawnee next Saturday to meet Oklahoma Baptist