SHAWNEE – After back-to-back victories against Southern Nazarene and Northwestern Oklahoma State, the Oklahoma Baptist women's hoops teams will look to extend its strong play with road games at Southern Arkansas and Arkansas-Monticello on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.
OBU (9-7, 5-5) will face the Muleriders on Thursday in Magnolia followed by a matchup with the Blossoms on Saturday in Monticello.
This Lockdown Worked
January 15th's win against Northwestern Oklahoma State saw the Bison put together a defensive effort rivaled by only two other games in the NCAA Division II era. OBU held the Rangers, a team that had won its previous seven games, to a 27.8 percent shooting clip. That's the third-lowest total given up to a D2 opponent since the program became a full member of D2 in 2017-18. On November 19, 2018, Northeastern State hit just 24.2 percent while on February 11, 2021, the East Central Tigers connected on a 26.2 percent clip.
A Model of Consistency
Junior guard
Kalifa Ford has provided a steady hand for the Bison this season. She has scored in double figures in 13 of 16 games including a 23-point outburst in OBU's upset win over Northwestern Oklahoma State on January 15 at Noble Complex. Her 15.1 points average is good for 12th in the GAC. Ford has also been an outstanding rebounder. She is third in that category (8.7) while also ranking third in defensive rebounds per game (5.9).
Keep 'Em Off The Line
The Bison's performance at the free throw line this season cannot be overstated. After going 13-of-15 against Northwestern Oklahoma State on January 15, OBU boosted its team total to 75.9 percent. That mark is good for third in the conference. In the team's 16 games this season, the Bison have made at least 70 percent from the charity stripe in 13 of them. OBU's season best came against Southeastern Oklahoma State on December 11 when it made 11-of-12 for 91.7 percent.
Lockhart Long-Range Update
Mallory Lockhart hit some timely threes in the Bison's 68-52 win over Northwestern Oklahoma State on January 15. She hit four from downtown and in the process moved her total to 48 this season. That mark is currently sixth-best in the nation and ranks second in the Great American Conference. The junior transfer is also averaging 3.0 shots from deep per game. That is good for 12th in the country. Additionally, Lockhart ranks 27th in D2 and sixth in the GAC with a 43.6 percentage.
A Progressing Program
This season has brought some meaningful victories for the Bison, including November 27 at Cameron, December 11 versus Southeastern Oklahoma State and January 8 against Arkansas Tech. OBU has nine wins so far, which equals the total of the two previous seasons. Plus, the program has a good chance of earning its most wins since joining full NCAA D2 membership in the 2017-18 year. During that season, the Bison notched 13 victories. Additionally, that '17-18 campaign brought eight GAC victories. This current team is only three GAC wins away from tying that mark.
Last Time Out
A fast, 7-0 start set the tone for the entire afternoon as Oklahoma Baptist defeated Northwestern Oklahoma State 68-52 on January 15 in Great American Conference action.
The green and gold got a standout game from
Kalifa Ford who tallied a game-high 23 points with 10 rebounds. Wing player
Mallory Lockhart hit some timely threes and ended up with 12 points while
Jaylin Stapleton recorded nine points and a game-high eight assists.
Defensively, the Bison were outstanding. Northwestern came into the game on a seven-game winning streak, including a win over current first-place team and No. 14-ranked SWOSU. The Rangers had made at least 44 percent from the field in that streak. However, on this day, Northwestern went cold.
The OBU defense held the visitors to 27.8 percent shooting. That was the third-lowest total given up to a D2 team since OBU fully joined NCAA D2 in 2017-18.
Scouting Southern Arkansas
The Muleriders have put up some staggering offensive numbers. Their 88.4 average is tops in the GAC and second in the nation. SAU has scored at least 82 points in 11 of 16 games including a season-high 115 against Champion Christian College on December 14.
SAU'S 16.4 assists per game ranks 22nd in the nation and second in the GAC. The Mulerideres have dished out at least 16 dimes in 10 games this season, with a best of 21 against Harding on December 2.
Defensively, SAU is at the bottom of the GAC. They are 12th in both scoring defense (83.1) and field goal percentage defense (47.1). Most recently, the Muleriders have lost six of seven games and teams have shot at least 43.6 percent.
Senior forward Kisi Young has led the SAU offense. Her 16.6 scoring average is ranked in the top-10 of the GAC while her 56.8 field goal percentage is third-best.
Scouting Arkansas-Monticello
Nothing has gone right for the Blossoms this season, as they've posted an 0-16 record. They rank either last or next to last in 12 of 20 major stat categories.
Monticello is the only team in the GAC to average less than 60 points per game (58.6).
Sophomore guard Taylor Flores has been the lone bright spot for the Blossoms. She leads the GAC with 50 three-point makes and ranks eighth in scoring (15.6) and three-point field goal percentage (41.7).
This is the 11th all-time matchup between OBU and UAM. The Blossoms lead 6-4 and have won the last three games including a 67-50 win over the Bison on February 27, 2020.
