Setting the Scene
• The 2019-20 season of SWOSU Women's Basketball gets underway this weekend at the GAC / MIAA Crossover, held at John Lance Arena in Pittsburg, Kansas
• At this year's edition of the crossover, the Lady Bulldogs will match up against two MIAA foes from Kansas in Washburn and Pittsburg State
• The Lady Bulldogs enter the 2019-20 season ranked No. 20 in the WBCA Coaches Poll and receiving votes in the D2SIDA Media Poll and they're coming off the winningest season in program history after going 35-2 and finishing as the NCAA Division II National Runner-up last March
• SWOSU is a combined 0-5 against their opening-weekend opponents during the NCAA Division II era, but they have faced neither school since Kelsi Musick took over the program 10 seasons ago
• SWOSU last faced Washburn in an early season tournament in Emporia, Kan., to open the 2006-07 season while their last meeting against Pittsburg State came in 2008 at Rankin Williams Fieldhouse
 
About the Opponents
Washburn (0-0)
• The Ichabods were picked to finish third in the MIAA this season by the conference coaches and fourth by the league's media after finishing 20-10 (14-5 MIAA) last season
• Washburn returns three players who earned All-MIAA recognition last season in Reagan Phelan, Hunter Bentley and Alexis McAfee
• In exhibition play, the Ichabods outscored Kansas State in two quarters before dropping a 75-59 contest to the Wildcats at Bramlage Coliseum
• Washburn is coached by Ron McHenry, who has won over 400 games in 20 seasons and guided the Ichabods to the 2005 NCAA Division II National Championship
 
Pittsburg State (0-0)
• The Gorillas alternated positions with Washburn in the MIAA preseason polls after being picked fourth by the coaches and third by the media
• Pitt State returns four starters and 10 letterwinners from their 2018-19 squad which finished 21-9 and earned a spot in the NCAA Division II National Tournament
• PSU played two exhibition games, falling 97-63 at Arkansas before stunning Kansas 90-82 on October 27th at Allen Fieldhouse
• Guiding the Gorillas is second-year head coach Amanda Davied, a PSU alum who became the first coach in program history to enjoy a 20-win season in year one of their tenure
 
SWOSU Notes
• The Lady Bulldogs were picked to finish second in the Great American Conference this season after winning back-to-back GAC regular season championships and the 2019 GAC Tournament title
• SWOSU returns three starters from last season's record-setting team in senior guards Tyra Aska and Taylor Hedrick and junior forward Bethany Franks
• Gone from last season's National Runner-Up team, however, are All-American guards Hailey Tucker and Hayden Priddy, who combined to win the last three GAC Player of the Year awards while scoring more than 4,000 career points between them
• Aska is the Lady Dawgs leading returning scorer after averaging 12.0 points per game last season and she paced her team with 19 points, nine rebounds, four steals and two assists while playing all 40 minutes of SWOSU's exhibition victory over NCAA Division I Tulsa
• Franks emerged as one of SWOSU's top performers in the 2019 postseason run as was named the MVP of the GAC Tournament and an All-Tournament Team performer at the Elite Eight
• In her junior season, Franks averaged 9.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game while recording six double-doubles, including 14 points and 12 rebounds in the national semifinals against Indiana (Pa.)
• Hedrick has started 66 games for the Lady Bulldogs over the past two seasons and she averaged 8.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game as a junior
• SWOSU also returns a pair of key reserves who are expected to join the starting lineup this season in junior guard Taber Beer and junior forward Maddie Sperle
• Beer hit the biggest shot in SWOSU Women's Basketball's recent memory last season with a game-winning three-pointer against Central Missouri in the regional semifinals
• SWOSU has added four freshmen to the roster for this season, a group led by forward Makyra Tramble of Shawnee, who averaged 21.0 points per game in exhibition play while hitting 10-of-19 three-point attempts
 
Looking Ahead
• Non-conference play continues for the Lady Bulldogs next weekend as they head to Lubbock, Texas, for the LCU Classic
• First up is a meeting with St. Mary's on Friday (Nov. 15) at 12:00 pm before a National Championship game rematch against Lubbock Christian on Saturday (Nov. 16) evening at 7:30 pm
• Great American Conference play begins the following week as SWOSU hosts East Central on Thursday, November 21st, at the Pioneer Cellular Event Center