SWOSU Women's Basketball has set its sights on the start of the GAC season as the team prepares to face No. 7 Harding on Thursday in the conference opener, followed by a Saturday matchup with Arkansas Tech.

Harding went 25-7 last season and won the GAC Tournament, taking every game by at least 13 points before falling in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to seven-seed Pitt State. This season, the Lady Bisons are 6-0. Their first two wins came against No. 23 Tampa by three points, followed by a 16-point dismantling of No. 3 Texas Women's — their first win over a top-three nationally ranked opponent since 2011.

SWOSU sits at 2-3 after dropping back-to-back games by a combined five points. The first came against now No. 4 Lubbock Christian in heartbreaking fashion when a buzzer-beating three lifted the Lady Chaps over the Lady Dawgs. The second was a road loss to Eastern New Mexico in their first away test of the season, a back-and-forth battle that ended in the Greyhounds' favor.

The last two times the Lady Dawgs and Lady Bisons have met while Harding was ranked inside the top 25, SWOSU has come out on top — most recently in the 2024 GAC Tournament, when the Lady Bulldogs won 79-72 to advance to the championship game, where they eventually fell to Henderson State.

Harding is led by four double-digit scorers in a balanced offensive attack. Kennedy Stout averages 12.8 PPG, Maddi Holt adds 12.7 PPG, Josie Williams contributes 11.8 PPG, and Allie Rehl scores 10.7 PPG. Stout also leads the team with seven rebounds per game and averages 2.7 blocks, the second-most in the GAC.

As a team, the Lady Bisons average 72 points per game while allowing just 60.2. They shoot 43.1% from the field, fourth-best in the conference, and 35.1% from beyond the arc.

Arkansas Tech enters the week at 4-0 before a Thursday matchup with Northwestern and a Saturday meeting with SWOSU. All-time, the Golden Suns hold a narrow 21-18 advantage over the Lady Dawgs, with both teams going 8-8 on their home floors. Last season, Arkansas Tech finished 7-19 and did not qualify for the GAC Tournament. The Lady Bulldogs and Golden Suns split their season series.

Tech is led by five double-digit scorers: Logan Young (13.3 PPG), Shalyn Lyle (11.5 PPG), Dessie Lancaster (11.5 PPG), AbbiGrace Cunningham (10.8 PPG), and Madelyn Atkins (10 PPG). Lancaster leads the team with 6.8 rebounds per game, while Lyle averages 2.8 assists.

As a team, they boast the No. 2 offense in the country at 93 points per game and have topped the 100-point mark twice. Defensively, they allow 67.8 points per game, which ranks 10th in the GAC. The Golden Suns own the highest field-goal percentage in the conference at 45.8% but only hold opponents to 40.8%, the 11th mark in the league. They also carry the fifth-best turnover margin at +1.1 per game.

SWOSU is led by Landry Allen, who averages 13.6 points per game along with 6.6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2.8 steals, and 3.8 blocks — the third-highest mark in the nation. Sincere Jackson is having a breakout season, averaging 13.4 points on 53% shooting from the field, plus 6.2 rebounds, including 2.4 on the offensive end.

Elle Papahronis did not play in Monday's game due to injury, but she has averaged 12 points per game and gets to the line nearly eight times a night, shooting 58% at the stripe. She ranks second in the conference with 10.8 rebounds per game. Through four games, she is averaging a double-double despite not recording one in a single outing. She also leads the GAC with 3.3 steals per game.

The Lady Dawgs are averaging 59.8 points per game while allowing the same number defensively.