Setting the Scene
- Great American Conference play begins on Thursday night in Ada as the Lady Bulldogs take on East Central
- SWOSU is on a three-game winning streak after dropping the season opener to Emporia State, while East Central also enters the contest with a mark of 3-1
- The game will feature a contrast in styles as the high-scoring Lady Bulldogs attack, averaging 84.5 points per game faces the top scoring defense in the GAC as ECU allows their opponents just 52.8 points per contest
- SWOSU holds a 12-5 advantage over the Tigers as members of the GAC, but East Central has split the series each of the past two years, including a 76-66 win over the Lady Bulldogs last February in Ada
- The Lady Bulldogs have won their GAC opener in each of the past two seasons and they are 4-3 in league openers since the formation of the league prior to the 2011-12 season
 
About the Opponent
East Central (3-1, 0-0 GAC)
- The Tigers defeated Northern State and Arkansas-Fort Smith last weekend at the Emporia State Thanksgiving Classic to improve to 3-1 on the year
- Senior guard Lakin Preisner shared GAC Player of the Week honors with SWOSU's Hailey Tucker after averaging 22.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game at the Thanksgiving Classic
- ECU will be playing their first game of the year at the Kerr Activities Center after holding court with a 6-6 home record last season
- Matt Cole is in his fifth season leading the Tigers, where he has averaged 12.5 wins per season and led ECU to the GAC Tournament each year
 
The Series (GAC Era)

*1/23/12	Weatherford	W, 93-55
*2/20/12	Ada	W, 101-72
3/2/12	Bartlesville	W, 81-46
*1/12/13	Weatherford	L, 85-94
*2/14/13	Ada	W, 72-68
*1/11/14	Ada	L, 63-73
*2/13/14	Weatherford	W, 93-81
3/8/14	Bartlesville	W, 87-83
*12/4/14	Ada	L, 62-67
*1/31/15	Weatherford	W, 64-54
*1/14/16	Weatherford	W, 65-49
*2/11/16	Ada	W, 74-71
3/5/16	Bartlesville	W, 79-63
*1/12/17	Ada	W, 78-57
*2/11/17	Weatherford	L, 74-88
*1/11/18	Weatherford	W, 90-80
*2/17/18	Ada	L, 66-76
All-Time: SWOSU Leads 60-35
NCAA Division II Era: SWOSU Leads 27-19
in Weatherford: SWOSU Leads 14-8
in Ada: ECU Leads 11-10
GAC Era: SWOSU Leads 12-5

 
SWOSU Notes
- Hailey Tucker was named the GAC Co-Player of the Week on Monday, becoming the first women's basketball player in conference history to earn the honor 10 times during their career
- Tucker averaged 26.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in wins over Cameron and Oklahoma Christian, recording her 21st career double-double with 28 points and 11 rebounds against Cameron
- One game after becoming SWOSU's career leader in assists, Hayden Priddy dished out a season-best six assists in the Lady Bulldogs win over Oklahoma Christian
- In addition to leading SWOSU with 13 assists this season, Priddy ranks second on the team in scoring (16.5 ppg) and fourth in rebounding (4.3 rpg)
- All five of SWOSU's starters scored in double figures against Oklahoma Christian, combining to score 82 of the Lady Dawgs' 98 points in the contest
- Dovile Strimaitye matched her season high against Oklahoma Christian, scoring six points for the third straight game
- Bethany Franks leads SWOSU in rebounding (8.0 per game) and steals (3.0 per game) while ranking fifth on the team with 10.3 points per game
- Tyra Aska has scored at least 12 points in all four games this season, giving her an average of 13.3 points per game for the year
- Tucker became the third player in program history to surpass the 1,700-career point mark last week and she's now less than 100 points away from the Great American Conference all-time scoring record of 1,803 points
- SWOSU leads the GAC with a turnover margin of +13.0 per game, forcing their opponents into 23.8 turnovers while committing an average of 10.8 this season
 
Looking Ahead
- SWOSU plays their conference home opener on Saturday, hosting Southeastern Oklahoma State at 1:00 pm inside the Pioneer Cellular Event Center
- Two big non-conference matchups highlight the schedule the next week, as SWOSU hosts Lubbock Christian on Monday before a return trip to Oklahoma Christian on Thursday evening