Setting the Scene
• SWOSU fans have one final opportunity to see the Bulldogs at home during the 2019 calendar year, with the Dawgs hosting Southern Nazarene on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 pm inside the Pioneer Cellular Event Center
• The Bulldogs are now 5-3 on the year following a two-game sweep at the Washburn Thanksgiving Classic, which included wins over Washburn (84-73) and Newman (92-83)
• With the wins, SWOSU improved to 5-3 on the year - matching their win total from the 2018-19 season - while wrapping up non-conference play with a record of 4-2
• SWOSU returns to conference play with a 1-1 record and they'll be faced by Southern Nazarene, who won the GAC regular season and conference tournament championships last season
• Sophomore guard Damion Thornton was named the GAC Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 18.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game at the Washburn Classic
 
About the Opponent
Southern Nazarene (6-3, 1-1 GAC)
• Two-time defending champions of the Great American Conference, SNU has started this season 6-3 with a victory over then #15 Northern State to their credit
• The Crimson Storm are led by two returning First Team All-GAC selections in Jhonathan Dunn and Micah Speight, with both ranking among the top four in the conference in scoring with a combined 48.0 points per game
• SNU is ranked sixth in the conference in scoring, averaging 82.6 points per game on a league-leading average of 11.2 made three-pointers per night
• Adam Bohac is the two-time defending GAC Coach of the Year with over 230 wins in 12 seasons leading the Crimson Storm
 
SWOSU Notes
• Through eight games, the Bulldogs are forcing an average of 19.4 turnovers per game while committing 13.1 for a league-leading turnover margin of +6.25, which also ranks 14th nationally in NCAA Division II
• The Bulldogs have scored 80 or more points in three of the past four games, which has improved the team's scoring average to 78.1 points per game for the year, which ranks eighth in the league
• SWOSU has connected on 131-of-171 free throw attempts this season to rank second in the league with 76.6% shooting from the stripe
• GAC Player of the Week Damion Thornton has led the Bulldogs in scoring six times in eight games this season and he's coming off a season-high 24 points against Newman
• Thornton leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 17.8 points per game while Jaylan Williams is also in double figures at 10.1 points per game
• Last Friday at Washburn, six different Bulldogs scored in double figures with Bralyn James leading the team with 13 points
• James became the third different player to lead the team in scoring this season, joining Thornton and Kamden Gipson, who posted a team-high 17 points at Southeastern Oklahoma State
• The Bulldogs shot a season-high 57.7% (30-52) from the field against Newman, offsetting an off night from long range that saw them held to a season-low four made three-pointers
• A victory over the Crimson Storm would give the Bulldogs their first three-game win streak since they ran together four straight wins in December 2016
 
Looking Ahead
• The Bulldogs play their final game of the semester next Saturday (Dec. 14) in Shawnee against Oklahoma Baptist, with tipoff set for 3:00 pm
• SWOSU will ring in the new year in Arkansas, facing Arkansas-Monticello (Jan. 2) and Southern Arkansas (Jan. 4) in the first games of 2020
• The next home games for the Bulldogs will come against another pair of cross-state conference rivals in Ouachita (Jan. 9) and Henderson State (Jan. 11)