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Setting the Scene
- The No. 7/5 Lady Bulldogs extended their win streak to 15 games on Thursday and will take that streak on the road against East Central when they face the Tigers on Saturday inside the Kerr Activities Center in Ada
- With hopes of hosting an NCAA Regional on the table for SWOSU, the Lady Dawgs will face a hungry ECU squad battling for their postseason hopes
- East Central sits in a tie with Southern Arkansas for the eighth and final postseason spot coming into the contest
- SWOSU claimed the first meeting between the teams earlier in the season with a 90-80 victory in Weatherford
- The Lady Dawgs have controlled the GAC series against East Central since 2012, holding a 12-4 record against the Tigers and including wins in six of the last seven contests coming into Saturday  
 
The Opponent
East Central (8-14, 7-11 GAC)
- Snapped their three-game losing streak against SNU on Thursday, but have been struggling as of late having lost six of their last eight games
- In GAC play (18 games) the Tigers are averaging 65.3 points per game on offense which ranks them 10th in the league
- They're allowing 70.1 points per game on the defensive end of the floor which ranks them seventh around the league
- The Tigers are led by Devon Branch (14.7 ppg) and Lakin Preisner (13.6 ppg)
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Kelsi Musick (153-102, 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 153-102, including a mark of 14-6 against ECU all-time
 
ECU: Matt Cole (47-57; 4th season)
- Cole was named ECU's fourth head coach in program history in 2014
- Prior to East Central, Coach Cole spent the last 11 years as an assistant women's coach at Northeastern State where he helped NSU to seven NCAA Tournaments, including two Sweet 16 appearances

Checking the Standings
- Harding has won four straight games and climbed all the way into sole possession of fourth place
- Spots four through 11 all are separated by just one game each with a three-way tie for fifth place and a two-way tie for eighth currently
- Southern Nazarene has now lost nine consecutive games which has dropped them all the way down to 11th in the standings
 
The Series
Date                Location                                           Score
*1/23/2012       Weatherford, Okla. .................... W 93-55
*2/20/2012       Ada, Okla. ................................. W 101-72
3/2/2012          Bartlesville, Okla. ....................... W 81-46
*1/12/2013       Weatherford, Okla. ...................... L 85-94
*2/14/2013       Ada, Okla. ................................... W 72-68
*1/11/2014       Ada, Okla. .................................... L 63-73
*2/13/2014       Weatherford, Okla. .................... W 93-81
3/8/2014          Bartlesville, Okla. ....................... W 87-83
*12/4/2014       Ada, Okla. .................................... L 62-67
*1/31/2015       Weatherford, Okla. .................... W 64-54
*1/14/2016       Weatherford, Okla. .................... W 65-49
*2/11/2016       Ada, Okla. ................................... W 74-71
3/5/2016          Bartlesville, Okla. ....................... W 79-63
*1/12/2016       Ada, Okla. ................................... W 78-57
*2/11/2017       Weatherford, Okla........................ L 74-88
*1/11/18           Weatherford, Okla...................... W 90-80
 
GAC Era: SWOSU leads series 12-4
In Weatherford: SWOSU leads 5-2
In Ada: SWOSU leads 4-2
In Postseason: SWOSU leads 3-0

SWOSU Notes
- SWOSU's winning streak has reached 15 games, extending what is already the longest win streak in the program's NCAA Division II history dating back to the 1997-98 season
- Hailey Tucker's 18 points against SE moved her into third place on SWOSU Women Basketball's all-time scoring list, passing Jackie Snodgrass (1988-92)
- Hayden Priddy also cracked the Top 10 on the all-time scoring list with her 20 points against SE, passing Jana Hilbert (1994-98)
- Bethany Franks was held scoreless against the Savage Storm in what was her first game this season not recording a point
- Taylor Hedrick tallied a career high 23 points on Thursday, passing her previous high of 20 which came back on Jan. 11, 2018 against the same East Central squad SWOSU will face Saturday
- SWOSU's nationally ranked and GAC leading scoring offense has failed to score its season average (85.5 ppg) in three of the last four games and five of the last seven
- With the decline in offensive scoring has come a rise in defense, as the Lady Bulldogs have held opponents to 65.1 points per game over the course of the past seven games -- which would rank them second in the current GAC category
- Tyra Aska ranks fifth in the GAC in steals averaging 2.0 per game, followed by Tucker in 12th at 1.6 per game
 
Looking Ahead
- SWOSU closes out the regular season next week with three games, first against rival Northwestern in Alva on Monday (Feb. 19)
- Wednesday (Feb. 21) the Lady Dawgs will welcome Oklahoma Baptist to Weatherford before closing out the schedule on the road against Southern Nazarene on Saturday (Feb. 24)