SWOSU Women's Basketball took down Henderson State in its last outing and now looks to sweep the week against two tough opponents as the Lady Dawgs push toward the GAC Tournament. First up is rival Northwestern on Thursday night before hosting SNU on Saturday.

Last week, SWOSU fell to Ouachita Baptist by nearly 30 points and shot a season-low 23.9 percent from the field. However, a strong bounce-back win followed on Saturday as the Lady Dawgs defeated Henderson State 73-57. A season-high 49 percent shooting performance propelled SWOSU to a split in the season series with the Reddies.

SWOSU (8-12, 6-9 GAC) is currently tied for ninth in the conference, just outside the top eight needed to qualify for the postseason tournament. Northwestern sits in third place with a 10-5 conference record and is 15-6 overall. SNU presents a key opportunity after handing SWOSU a loss earlier this season. The Crimson Storm are 7-12 overall and 7-8 in GAC play, just one game ahead of the Lady Dawgs.

Since 2013, SWOSU holds a 22-8 advantage over the Lady Rangers. At home in Weatherford, the Lady Dawgs are 12-1 in the series, with the lone loss coming during the 2023-24 season.

Northwestern boasts the top defense in the GAC. Its zone allows just 57.3 points per game, the only team in the league holding opponents under 60 per contest. The Lady Rangers limit teams to 35.8 percent shooting from the field, the lowest mark in the conference. They also dominate the glass with a plus-12 rebounding margin, pulling down a league-high 15.1 offensive rebounds and 40.4 total rebounds per game.

Kira Bass drives the Lady Ranger offense and is coming off her second GAC Offensive Player of the Week award after scoring a career-high 39 points against Ouachita Baptist last week. She averages 19.9 points per game, second in the GAC, and is the only Northwestern player averaging double figures. Bass also grabs 9.5 rebounds per game, second in the conference.

Dating back to 2012, SWOSU holds a 19-12 edge over the Crimson Storm but has dropped the last seven meetings. At home, the Lady Bulldogs are 10-5 in the series.

Southern Nazarene averages 62.3 points per game, ranking 11th in the conference, while owning the seventh-ranked defense at 66.2 points allowed per game. The Crimson Storm shoot a league-low 37.7 percent from the field and rank 10th in three-point percentage at 28.2 percent. They have made the fewest free throws in the conference at 249. On the boards, they rank last in total rebounds at 34.8 per game and 10th in rebounding margin at minus 2.4.

No SNU player averages double figures in scoring. Jillian Crawford leads the team with 9.6 points per game and also grabs a team-high 4.1 rebounds per night. Boston Berry adds 8.6 points and 2.1 assists while leading the team with 1.5 steals per game.
The Lady Dawgs rank ninth in the league in scoring at 63.0 points per game. Even while sitting ninth in the standings, it marks their highest offensive production in the last three seasons. Defensively, they rank sixth, allowing 65.0 points per game.

SWOSU remains in the bottom two of the conference in field goal, three-point, and free throw percentage. Opponents shoot 32.6 percent from three-point range against the Lady Dawgs, the second-highest mark in the league. SWOSU ranks second in total rebounds at 39.1 per game. Their 5.7 blocks per game are nearly two more than the next closest team, and they rank third in the GAC in steals at 9.25 per contest.

Landry Allen did not earn Defensive Player of the Week honors but continues to lead the GAC with 4.7 blocks per game, double the next closest player. Nationally, she ranks second behind Mahogany Collins of Shaw University, who averages 5.35 blocks per game. Allen also scores 15.3 points per game and had 19 in the win over the Reddies after attempting a season-high 21 shots. She adds 6.8 rebounds per game, seventh in the GAC, and 2.1 steals, tied for third in the conference.

Sincere Jackson averages 13.8 points per game while pulling down 6.6 rebounds. Elle Papahronis also scores in double figures at 11.6 points per game and grabs 8.9 rebounds, third in the GAC, while tying Allen for third in steals at 2.1 per game.