Great American Conference Tournament Opening Round

(5) SWOSU (7-10, 7-10 GAC) at (4) Southeastern Okla. (7-10, 7-10 GAC)

Monday, March 1, 7:30 pm

Durant, Okla. (Bloomer Sullivan Arena)

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DURANT, Okla. – The SWOSU Men’s Basketball team will play their first postseason game since 2016 on Monday night when they travel to Durant, Okla., to face Southeastern Oklahoma State in the opening round of the 2021 Great American Conference Tournament.

The Bulldogs will now meet Southeastern for the fifth time this season after the two teams split the season series with two wins apiece. SWOSU and SE also finished the year tied for fourth place in the GAC’s Western Division, but hosting privileges went to the Savage Storm due to a tiebreaker.

SWOSU enters the postseason having lost six of their final seven games since defeating Southeastern 65-47 on February 4th in Weatherford. Of those six losses, however, the Bulldogs dropped three in overtime and only one by more than six points. In their last trip to Durant on February 20th, SWOSU was beaten 84-82 after the Savage Storm hit a three-pointer in the final second.

This season, SWOSU is averaging 81.8 points per game which is the highest-scoring offense in the GAC by nearly seven points per game. Conversely, the Dawgs are allowing 79.1 points per game, which is the 11th-best scoring defense in the league and their scoring margin of +2.7 ranked fifth among GAC teams. The Bulldogs also feature the second-best turnover margin (+3.29) and fourth-best assist:turnover ratio (1.0:1) in the league.

Leading the way for SWOSU this season is junior forward Damion Thornton, who ranks third in the GAC in scoring (16.6 ppg) and second in rebounding (8.9 rpg). Thornton has scored 10 or more points 14 times in 17 games this season, with six 20-point games to his credit. He has also been the Bulldogs top scoring threat against Southeastern, averaging 15.3 points per game in the four meetings with the Savage Storm this season.

Thornton is one of five Bulldog players averaging better than 10 points per game this season, joined by Tauriawn Knight (14.9), Kamden Gipson (11.6), Bralyn James (11.4) and Chris Braggs, Jr. (10.1). Knight is the GAC’s leader in free throw percentage, knocking down 85.4% (35-41) of his attempts from the stripe while Gipson is ranked seventh in the league with 25 steals in 17 games.

Southeastern is led by senior point guard Adam Dworsky, the GAC’s All-Time Leader in assists. Dworsky is averaging 15.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game but he’s been held under his scoring average in the last two games against the Dawgs. Kellen Manek has scored 18.0 points per game in two meetings against SWOSU and he hit the game-winner in the last meeting and Bobby Johnson has totaled 14.0 points per game this year against the Bulldogs.

The winner of Monday night’s opening round game will head to Monticello, Ark., on Wednesday evening to face GAC Eastern Division Co-Champion and top seed Arkansas-Monticello in the GAC Quarterfinals. That game will tip off at 7:30 pm from Steelman Fieldhouse in Monticello.