SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist (1-2) will go against Lone Star Conference schools Midwestern State and Cameron this week. On Nov. 22, OBU will head to Wichita Falls, Texas to face MSU at 5:30 p.m. before hosting Cameron on Nov. 26 at 1:30 at the Noble Complex.
The contest against the Aggies will be OBU's first regular-season home game of the season.
Ankney's Premiere
Senior point guard
Erika Ankney made her debut for the Bison this past weekend at Northeastern State. In 29 minutes of action, she led the team with 15 points, hit 6-of-10 from the field, 2-of-3 from downtown, and notched a trio of assists and rebounds. One of those three-pointers was at the buzzer, too, highlighting her efforts against the RiverHawks.
Super Frosh
Coach
Bo Overton knew he had a scoring threat coming to Bison Hill when the program signed
Jaedyn Getman. Through three games, the Stratford High School graduate has averaged a team-high 15.3 points per game and connected on 83.3 percent from the free throw line. She has tallied 22, 13 and 11 points in those three contests. Of note, only one other freshman in OBU's D2 history (2015-16-present) has scored in double figures at least three straight times: Kalifa Ford. During Ford's freshman season in 2019-20, she played and started in 10 games and reached double-digit scoring in all of them.
Making Them Count
It was mentioned in last week's notes OBU's ability at the charity stripe. Well after an 8-for-10 performance on the road against Northeastern State, the Bison have entered the top-50 in that NCAA Division 2 category. The team has connected on 78.1 percent, 25-of-32. That percentage is tied for 41st in the country and is the second-best mark in the Great American Conference. Only Southern Nazarene is ahead of the green and gold with a mark of 83.8 percent.
Speaking of Free Throws
Last season, the Bison dialed up a 91-70 victory against Midwestern State on Nov. 23 inside the Noble Complex. The main storyline from that win: OBU's outstanding performance from the free throw line. The team went to the charity stripe a whopping 37 times and hit 31 of those. That was a mark of 83.8 percent. Two former players, Jaylin Stapleton and Payton Taylor, were a combined 14-for-14 in that game.
Room For Improvement
The team's collective height has been mentioned in the last couple weeks. However, and oddly enough, opponents are outrebounding this Bison squad. Through three games, OBU's rebounding margin is minus 9.3. That mark is currently ninth out of 12th in the GAC.
No Place Like Home
Tuesday's game at Midwestern State in Wichita Falls, Texas will be OBU's fourth straight away from Shawnee. For what it's worth, the only other times the Bison played four consecutive regular-season games away from home in the D2 era was during the 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2019-20 seasons. After the game against the Mustangs, the Bison will be more than happy to return to their friendly confines of the Noble Complex. On Nov. 26, OBU will host Cameron for the team's first regular-season home game of the 2022-23 campaign.
Scouting Midwestern State
The Mustangs have lost their last two games - to GAC schools Southeastern Oklahoma State and East Central - and currently sit at 1-3. MSU's biggest issue so far has been defense. It is allowing opponents to hit 43.5 percent. That ranks 14th of 16 in the Lone Star Conference.
Also of note, MSU is turning the ball over almost 20 times per game. Its turnover margin of -5.50 ranks in the bottom fourth of the LSC.
Junior guard Natalie Stice, an All-LSC Honorable Mention selection last year, has been the Mustags' go-to shooter so far. She's tallied as many as 24 points and has averaged 12.8 points per game. Stice has also attempted 60 shots. The next-highest Mustang is Kennedi Green who has attempted 29 shots.
Staggering stat: in the last two games, Midwestern State has connected on just 59.5 percent from the free throw line (25-of-42). `
Scouting Cameron
Before Cameron comes to Shawnee, it will have faced Central Oklahoma in Edmond on Nov. 22. So far, the Aggies are 2-1 with wins against Harding and UC Colorado Springs.
Alena Wilson, a 5-foot-10 junior forward, has been an offensive terror in the early portion of the season. She's scored as many as 20 points and currently is in fourth in the LSC in scoring average (17.3). Wilson is also sixth in rebounding (8.0).
Korie Allensworth, a sophomore, is off to a solid start in 2022-23. She's averaging 12.3 points per game and has the highest free throw percentage (73.3) of those Aggies that have reached the free throw line at least 10 times.
Defensively, the Aggies are off to a slow start. In the three previous games, Cameron has given up 50-percent shooting to its opponents. That's dead last (16th) in the Lone Star Conference.
Another defensive issue has been three-point shooting. Cameron is allowing an LSC-worst 43.9 percent from downtown. Over its last two games against Adams State and Harding, the Aggies have allowed 15-of-29 (51.7%) from deep.
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