SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist will return to the confines of Noble Complex this week with GAC contests against Ouachita and Henderson State. The Bison will look to avenge two close losses to the Tigers and Reddies.
Ouachita sneaked by the green and gold 67-63 on January 11 while HSU won in overtime, 94-80, back on December 30.
OBU currently owns a 10-8 record, including a 6-6 mark in the GAC.
A Family Affair
Throughout the year, the Bison have gotten contributions from their bench. In fact, in 13 of 18 games, OBU has had a scoring advantage over its opponents in that category. And January 22nd's game at Arkansas-Monticello was no exception. By the final buzzer, the green and gold had outscored UAM by a 46-10 tally. Those 46 points were the most this season. The breakdown in that game:
Kendall Parker (11),
Melissa Southard (9),
Kayla Highfill (9),
Malou Savanna (6),
Madison Chambers and
Kennedy Large (6) and
Sierra Copeland (3).
First-Team Ford?
How good has
Kalifa Ford been this year? For starters, she is one of only three players in the GAC to rank in the top-ten in scoring (15.7), rebounding (8.7) and field goal percentage (47.3). The junior has scored in double figures in 15 of 18 contests, including a season-high 24 at Southern Arkansas on Jan. 20. She has also grabbed at least seven rebounds in 15 of 18 games. Ford has really been on a tear lately. In the last six games, she's tallied team bests in points (18.5), rebounds (9.7) and made free throws (27).
Continuing to Grow
Two freshmen,
Jill Leslie and Parker, have seen a lot of minutes this year. In fact, those two have averaged at least 13.2 minutes of playing time, the most among all the newcomers. While there have been some growing pains, there's also been flashes of brilliance, especially the last six games. As the Bison have gone 4-2 in that span, Leslie is scoring 7.3 points and hitting a team-best 55.9 percent. For Parker, she's averaged 6.7 points, hit 36.8 percent from three and notched 15 assists, second-most on the team.
Lockhart Long-Range Update
Mallory Lockhart added six more threes to her total after last week's games at Southern Arkansas and Arkansas-Monticello. She now has 54 triples this season, a mark that ranks tied for seventh in the country and second in the GAC. The junior is also averaging 3.0 makes from downtown per game. That's good for 12th in DII. In 13 games this season, Lockhart has drained multiple threes including a season-best 7-of-13 performance in the November 13 game against Washburn.
Free is Good
As has been noted several times during the season, this Bison team has done a good job at the free throw line. Their current mark of 75.8 percent is third-best in the GAC and ranks 41st in the country. In all but three games this year, OBU has made double-digit free throws including a season-best 31 in the November 23 home game against Midwestern State. Additionally, the green and gold have made at least 75 percent in nine of 18 games. Furthermore, OBU is not far off from the DII single-season program record of 78.9 set during the 2017-18 season.
Last Time Out
Ford led four Bison players in double-figure scoring as Oklahoma Baptist won 99-67 at Arkansas-Monticello on January 22 at Steelman Fieldhouse.
The green and gold improved to 10-8 and 6-6 in the Great American Conference with the result. By the end of the conference schedule on Saturday, OBU moved into sixth place in the standings.
Ford posted 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead OBU. After her, Lockhart bombed four 3-pointers for 12 points while Leslie contributed 11 points. Rounding out the Bison's top scorers was Parker who came off the bench to score 11.
OBU got plenty of contributions off the bench in this game as well. Southard and Highfill each tallied nine while Savanna chipped in with six on two 3-pointers. Collectively, the Bison notched 46 bench points compared to UAM's 10.
Scouting Ouachita
The Tigers have the nation's leading scorer, who is just a freshman. Her name: Aspen Thornton. She is scoring 24.3 points per game. In Ouachita's 67-63 win over OBU on January 11, she scored 25. Thornton has scored in double-figures every game including a DII program-record 43 against Arkansas Tech on December 2.
Makayla Miller, a junior guard, has been a handful this year as well. She is seventh in scoring (16.8), 12th in rebounding (6.6) and fifth in assists (3.5). Miller scored 16 against the Bison in Arkadelphia on January 11.
Ouachita creates problems defensively for opponents. In fact, the Tigers are third in the GAC in steals (11.4), three-point field goal percentage defense (29.3) and field goal percentage defense (38.0). In their win against the Bison a couple weeks ago, they held OBU to a season-low 26.8 percent shooting mark.
Scouting Henderson State
The Reddies have the 10th-best scoring offense in the country averaging 81.1 points per game. Henderson scored 94 against OBU, its third-highest mark this year, in the overtime win (94-80) on December 30.
Ashley Farrar has paced Henderson this season, ranking fifth in the conference in scoring (17.9). She started the season scoring double-figures in 16 straight games. However, Farrar has been held under 10 points the last two.
6-foot-2 forward Karrington Whaley has been sensational in the post. She leads the GAC in field goal percentage (66.4) and is third in rebounds (8.6).
Rounding out HSU's top performers is Lani Snowden. Her 43.9 three-point field goal percentage is in the top-three of the GAC. She has made multiple threes in eight different games including five versus OBU on December 30.
