Thursday, Jan. 30 – SWOSU at Arkansas Tech – 5:30 pm

Russellville, Ark. (Tucker Coliseum)

Saturday, Feb. 1 – SWOSU at Harding – 1:00 pm

Searcy, Ark. (Rhodes-Reaves Field House)

COVERAGE LINKS

The SWOSU women's basketball team (9-9, 5-7 GAC) will look to get back on track after suffering two losses to Northwestern and Oklahoma Baptist. The Lady Dawgs sit in sixth place in the GAC, but only one game separates them from 11th place in the conference. Their next two games against Arkansas Tech and Harding will be the second meeting between these teams.

In the first matchup with the Golden Suns (3-13, 1-11 GAC), SWOSU gave up the only conference win for Arkansas Tech this season. Since that win against the Lady Bulldogs, Tech has lost 10 straight and is in last place in the GAC. They are led by two double-digit scorers: AbbiGrace Cunningham (10.6 ppg) and Olivia Jones (10.1 ppg). Julie Wagner ranks fourth in the GAC with 7.7 rebounds per game and fifth in blocked shots with 1.1 per game. Across the board, Tech ranks in the bottom three in many team categories. Their 62.7 points per game rank 10th, 69.2 ppg allowed is 11th, and their margin of -6.5 is last in the conference. They also sit dead last at 26.7% from beyond the arc and 11th in turnover margin at -2.50.

Against Tech, SWOSU has lost two straight, including the game earlier this year. In the all-time series, the Golden Suns control a 21-17 lead, and inside Tucker Coliseum, the record is 8-7 in favor of the home team.

Harding (15-3, 11-1 GAC) will play SWOSU after hosting Northwestern on Thursday. Regardless of the outcome of Thursday's games, the Lady Bisons will be the number one team in the GAC. They are led by Sage Hawley, a fifth-year senior who took home both the offensive and defensive player of the week awards in the GAC. Her 14.5 ppg last week, along with nine blocks, helped notch wins over Arkansas Tech and Ouachita Baptist. On the season, she averages 17.8 ppg (1st in GAC), 9.9 rebounds per game (1st in GAC), and 2.0 steals (2nd in GAC). Rory Geer (12.0 ppg), Aubrey Isbell (12.3 ppg), and Josie Williams (10.1 ppg) all add double-digit points per game. They are the only team in the GAC with four double-digit scorers. Harding has the number one offense at 72.3 ppg and the number one margin at +12.6, which is over four points higher than the second-place team (Oklahoma Baptist). Despite having the highest-scoring offense, they make only 4.2 three-pointers per game, which is last in the GAC. The rebounding margin will be a key difference in the game, with Harding number one at +9.9 and SWOSU last in the conference at -8.8, an 18.7 difference between the two teams.

SWOSU holds a 20-17 record over the Lady Bisons but has a 3-12 record in away matchups in Searcy, Ark.

The Lady Bulldogs come into this week searching for a much-needed win to stay in contention for postseason play. SWOSU ranks last in FG percentage at 36% and 11th in 3PT% at just 28.1%. They rank last in all rebounding categories. However, the turnover margin is an area where SWOSU excels, with their +5.83 ranking number one in the GAC and 15th in the nation.

Averi Zinn is the only Lady Bulldog to reach the double-digit scoring mark averaging 10.8 ppg this season. She also ranks fourth in the GAC with 1.9 steals per game. Layni Zinn (9.3 ppg) and Hailey Grant (9.1 ppg) round out SWOSU's top three scorers.