Jan. 18 - at #16/21 Harding (12-2, 7-1 GAC)

5:30 pm tipoff || Searcy, Ark. (Rhoades-Reaves Field House)

Jan. 20 - at Arkansas Tech (7-5, 4-4 GAC)

1:00 pm tipoff || Russellville, Ark. (Tucker Coliseum)

Click here for Game Notes (pdf)

SWOSU hits the road again this week, heading to Arkansas with two more GAC games on the slate. They visit #16/21 Harding on Thursday before playing Arkansas Tech on Saturday.

Harding sits at 12-2 on the year and 7-1 in the league. They saw an 11-game win streak come to an end last Thursday in a close 60-51 loss at #6 Southern Nazarene. The Lady Bisons will be the third opponent SWOSU has played this year that is ranked at the time of the contest. SWOSU is 0-2 against those foes. (Lubbock Christian, Southern Nazarene)

The Lady Bulldogs have not fared well in Searcy. In the GAC era, they are 3-8 when facing Harding on the road. The last win there came Feb. 28, 2019. Last year, SWOSU dropped both matchups with Harding by 20-plus point margins. 

Sage Hawley, the reigning GAC Player of the Year, is having another outstanding season. Her 16.9 points per game, 11.1 rebounds per game, and 2.4 assists per game are all team highs. Rebounding will be a stat to watch on Thursday. Harding ranks second in rebounding margin in the conference (+10.6) while SWOSU ranks last (-6.9).

Arkansas Tech enters the week having dropped their two road games last week by a combined six points. They host Northwestern on Thursday before the Lady Dawgs come to town on Saturday. The Golden Suns are the only team in the league to hold a positive record against SWOSU in the D2 era, a 19-16 advantage, but the Dawgs narrowly have the edge in the GAC with a 14-13 record since 2012. The teams split last year with both victories going to the road team in 2023. 

Freshman guard Pacious McDaniel is lighting teams up. She is the top GAC scorer at 21.8 points per game on 53% from the field. 

Tech is third in the GAC in turnovers, averaging over 17 per game, while also forcing that same mark on defense. 

Last week brought a 1-1 record in two home games for the Lady Dawgs. SWOSU was defeated by Henderson State 78-71 before securing a bounce back win over Ouachita Baptist 66-55.

The Reddie offense was too much for SWOSU in the loss. They shot 54% from the field, a season high allowed by the SWOSU defense, and 50% from three. Averi Zinn tried to match the offensive output by the opposition. She totaled a career high 31 points on 11-24 shooting with a season high six rebounds. 

After the monster game from Zinn, it was a team scoring effort in the victory over OBU on Saturday.  Four players scored nine or more points including a career high night for Chloe Cantrell. The freshman scored 17 points and hit four three-pointers on an efficient 57% from beyond the arc. SWOSU saw the positive side of a hot shooting night on this night. They shot their season high 44% from three against the Tigers.

Lanie Gooch had a productive week in all areas of the floor from her guard spot. In the two contests, she averaged 6.5 points per game, 8.0 rebounds per game, and 2.0 steals per game. Gooch has had multiple steals in half of the Lady Dawgs' matchups this year.

Rees Berkey had a hot hand off the bench last week. Berkey scored 10 points versus the Reddies and 13 more against the Tigers. Over half of her points on the week came from the three-point line, where she shot 71%.

In eight league games this season, SWOSU's pressure defense has been apparent. The Lady Bulldogs are winning the turnover battle by over four per game (+4.25) when playing a GAC opponent, forcing opponents into 18 turnovers per game while committing 13.8. 

SWOSU's numbers in GAC games: 62.3 ppg (8th) / 37.6% field goal (8th) / 33.3% three-point / 70.3% free throw