SWOSU (16-12, 12-10 GAC) has earned the fifth seed in the upcoming 2025 Great American Conference Women's Basketball Tournament and has a match set up with Southeastern Oklahoma State in the opening round. The game has a scheduled tip-off time for 12:00 pm on Friday. 

Southeastern (18-10, 15-7 GAC) swept the Lady Dawgs this season 2-0; they won 62-48 in Durant on January 4, before a 53-44 victory in Weatherford, where SWOSU shot just 23.2% - the lowest mark all season.

In the GAC Tournament, SWOSU holds a 2-1 record against the Savage Storm, with the lone loss coming in 2015 and the wins in 2016 and 2022; all matchups have come in the quarterfinal round. In SWOSU's Division II era, the Lady Bulldogs hold a narrow 31-30 advantage in the series. In regular season conference games, the record is an even 29-29.

The Savage Storm are led by Caitlin Kobiske and her 17.8 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game. Against the Lady Dawgs in their first matchup, she scored 21 points, with over half coming from the free-throw line, where she was 11-11. Southeastern shot 25-27 from the free-throw line in their first matchup, which are both season highs for Lady Bulldog opponents. On the year, the Savage Storm make the third-most three-pointers per game with seven on 32% shooting.

Jeff Zinn is in his third year at the helm of the Lady Dawgs and has increased his win total every season. Last year he guided them to the GAC tournament championship game where SWOSU would fall to Henderson State 71-55.

SWOSU has been in the GAC Tournament 12 times since 2012 and holds a league-best 10-2 record in quarterfinal games.

The Lady Bulldogs found themselves struggling at 6-8 in GAC play with one month remaining before rattling off six wins in seven tries, before losing their final game to league-leading SNU, propelling them into the five seed. 

SWOSU has won the turnover battle 13 times by 8+ turnovers and are 8-5 in those games. For the season, they boast a +6.46-turnover margin, by far the best in the GAC and good enough for 12th in the nation.

When the Lady Bulldogs reach the line more than an opponent, SWOSU is 8-4; when the opposite happens, they fall to 8-8. SWOSU is the worst rebounding team in the GAC; however, when the Lady Dawgs outrebound an opponent, they are 5-1 on the year, with the only loss coming from Southeastern in their second matchup of the year.

Averi Zinn has been the head of the snake for the Lady Dawgs all year, averaging 11.3 points per game as SWOSU's only double-digit scorer on the roster. She averages 3.3 assists per game, which is fifth in the conference, while her 1.2 assist/turnover ratio and 1.7 steals per game rank her sixth in the GAC.

Guard Layni Zinn has found her groove over the last nine games, averaging almost 12 points during that span and having two games with over 20 points, including her 24-point outburst in a dismantling of rival Northwestern, where she knocked down six three-pointers in the first half alone. She ranks tenth in the conference in three-point percentage at 38.9% on 1.5 makes per game.

Hailey Grant has scored 10+ points in 14 games with SWOSU going 9-5 in those games; she swats on average a shot per game, which is tied for sixth in the GAC. She has a season-high of 19 points, which she has reached twice in wins against Ouachita Baptist and Northwestern.

Sharpshooter Mason Jones might be the key to the tournament for the Lady Dawgs; they are 10-2 when Jones scores 10+ points, and she has scored 15+ in four games this season. She has made multiple three-pointers in 11 games this season.

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