WEATHERFORD, Okla. – The SWOSU women's basketball team is heading east to Arkansas for another weekend trip. They will go to Magnolia first for a rematch with the Muleriders of Southern Arkansas for a 5:30 game on Thursday. Then, Arkansas-Monticello awaits them in Monticello on Saturday afternoon.
 
Bulldog Outlook
 

• SWOSU heads into this weekend 6-12 overall and 6-7 in the GAC on the year.
• They dropped their last two games to Arkansas Tech and Harding.
• Shamica Smith continues to play well this semester. She notched two double-doubles in her last three games, after only having two in the first 15 games of the season. This consistent rebounding has her ranked at T-5 in the GAC in rebounding.
• Morgan Smith scored 20 points against Arkansas Tech last week. It was the second time this season she scored 20 points. The first? Her career high 32-point performance in the first game against Southern Arkansas.
• Macy Gore and Averi Zinn enter third and fourth in the conference in assists per game. These two can both handle lead ballhandler duties at any time. They have combined for six-plus assists in 12 out of 18 games.
• Adysen Wilson came off of the bench against Northwestern to score 14 points and shoot 4-5 from three-point range. She is shooting 57% from three this season in games where she makes multiple threes.
• SWOSU ranks tenth in Division II in three-point attempts per game, with 27.6 three-pointers attempted per game.
• The efficiency has gotten better throughout the season as well. They have shot over 30% from three in the six out of the past eight games.
• While they do shoot a lot of threes, SWOSU has been more inclined to get to the free throw line. Through the first nine games, they made 10-plus free throws once. They have now made 10-plus free throws in eight of their last nine games.
• The Lady Bulldogs turnover margin is impressive, sitting at 5.33. They haven't lost the turnover battle in a game since December 12.

 
A Look at Southern Arkansas
Southern Arkansas comes into this game at 8-11 and 4-9 in the GAC. They are tied for eighth in the GAC standings. SWOSU will be looking for the season sweep of SAU, after their 91-81 win in Weatherford on January 7. Southern Arkansas is 2-19 against SWOSU in Division II era, though both those wins have come in Magnolia. They play a fast-paced style, where they like to speed up the opposition on defense and the best shot on offense is usually the first open shot. They rank first nationally in three-point attempts and three-point makes per game. They also rank top ten nationally in scoring offense, turnovers forced per game, and steals per game.
 
*Conference Rankings/Statistics as of 1/31/23
 
Mulerider Offense
82.1 Points Per Game (1st in GAC)
40.1% FG Percentage (8th)
35.3% 3-Point Percentage (3rd)
67% FT Percentage (T-9th)
37.8 Team Rebounding (5th) 

Mulerider Defense
75.8 Opponent Points Per Game (12th)
46.6% Opponent FG Percentage (12th)
28.8% Opponent 3-Point FG Percentage (2nd)
70.2% Opponent FT Percentage (8th)
43 Opponent Team Rebounding (11th)
 
A Look at Arkansas-Monticello
Arkansas-Monticello is currently 7-12 and 4-9 in GAC play. They are tied for eighth with Southern Arkansas in the standings. They head into this contest on a four-game skid. SWOSU will also look to sweep them in 2023, as they beat them in Weatherford 78-68 on January 5. SWOSU is 18-4 in the Division II era against the Blossoms, going 11-1 in the last 12 games. This loss came on a neutral site in the 2020 GAC Tournament.
 
*Conference Rankings/Statistics as of 1/31/23
 
Blossom Offense
63.7 Points Per Game (11th in GAC)
40.6% FG Percentage (7th)
31.7% 3-Point Percentage (T-5th)
67.4% FT Percentage (8th)
35.8 Team Rebounding (8th) 

Blossom Defense
65.8 Opponent Points Per Game (7th)
41.9% Opponent FG Percentage (9th)
28.5% Opponent 3-Point FG Percentage (1st)
71.6% Opponent FT Percentage (9th)
31.8 Opponent Team Rebounding (2nd)