SHAWNEE – With five non-conference games out of the way, Oklahoma Baptist (3-2) is eager to get Great American Conference play going over the next few days. On Dec. 1, OBU heads to Southwestern Oklahoma State before hosting Northwestern Oklahoma State on Dec. 3.
Both games are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. starts and both will be broadcasted on the Bison Sports Network with Todd Miller and Scott Wanish on the call.
Last season, OBU fell in both games to the Bulldogs while sweeping the Rangers.
Droppin' Bombs at Noble
During the team's 79-70 win against Cameron on Nov. 26, five different players -
Malou Savanna,
Erika Ankney,
Jaedyn Getman,
Melissa Southard and
Madison Chambers - hit at least two 3-pointers. That had never happened before in the D2 era. Previously, there were 10 games since 2015-16 in which four players sank two-plus deep shots.
A Rare Occurrence
There have been 200 games for the Bison in the Division II era. In that time, there have been just two contests in which the team shot above 56 percent from the field and from three-point range. The first: November 12, 2016 against Missouri Southern State. In that game, OBU hit 56.9 percent overall and 57.1 from three. The only other time a Bison offense eclipsed the 56-percent benchmark was against Cameron this past Saturday. Against the Lady Aggies, the green and gold hit 56.5 percent from the field and 57.1 from deep.
Impressive Efficiency
Last week in victories against Midwestern State and Cameron, the Bison committed nine (9) turnovers against the Mustangs and 10 against the Lady Aggies. Since the program made the jump to Division II, it is only the fifth time that an OBU team committed 10 or less turnovers in back-to-back games. The best streak to date is three-straight games. Between Nov. 19 and Nov. 23, 2015, OBU committed 10 or less turnovers against Ouachita, Henderson and Oklahoma Science and Arts.
Instant Impact
The addition of transfer
Erika Ankney cannot be understated. She has scored in double figures every game, including tallying 27 in the comeback at Midwestern State (11/22). Her 20 points per game and 24 free throw makes currently rank in the top three in the Great American Conference. The Harrah, Okla., native is also hitting 88.9 percent from the charity stripe, a mark that ranks second currently in single-season history. Plus, she has dished out a little more than four assists per game.
Saving Their Best for Last
Seniors
Madison Chambers,
Melissa Southard and
Malou Savanna have each contributed for coach
Bo Overton's team through five games. Each are averaging career-bests in points while Chambers and Southard are tied for the team lead with nine (9) steals. For Chambers, she has an 11.6 scoring average and is hitting 86.4 percent from the charity stripe. That free throw percentage is currently the third-best mark in OBU single-season history. Southard's emergence has been one of the biggest early-season storylines. The forward has averaged 5.0 points per game, pulled down 3.4 rebounds and ranks, remarkably, at the top of the GAC in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.75). For Savanna, she is shooting a career-best 46.2 percent from three-point range which includes a 3-for-4 showing from deep against Cameron last week.
Top-Notch Frosh
Make it four-straight games in double-figure scoring for freshman
Jaedyn Getman. As mentioned last week, Getman is one of only two Bison freshman in the D2 era to record 10-plus points in at least three consecutive games. A week ago, Getman scored 12 against Midwestern State and then 18 versus Cameron. Her current average of 15.2 points per game is second-best among all freshmen in the GAC and only trails Ouachita's Madeleine Tipton (16.3 ppg).
Free Throw Update
In last week's games against Midwestern State and Cameron, the Bison combined to hit 45-of-53 (84.9%) at the foul line. With those totals, the Bison catapulted from 41st in D2 to 12th in team free throw percentage. OBU currently has an 82.35 average, a mark that if the season ended today, would be a team single-season record.
Scouting Southwestern Oklahoma State
Heading into this season, SWOSU lost some big-time names. That included coach Kelsi Musick who left for D1 Oral Roberts after leading SWOSU to seven NCAA Division II National Tournament appearances. Plus, the Bulldogs lost Makyra Tramble, a forward that was the only player in the nation last year to average 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.
Morgan Smith has led the Bulldogs early on, scoring 14.8 points per game. She is one of two SWOSU players to hit at least 46 percent from the field and three.
As a team, coach Jeff Zinn's squad has struggled offensively. SWOSU is 12th, last, in the GAC in scoring average (59.8 ppg). They are also 11th in field-goal percentage (34.9).
Additionally, the Bulldogs defense has been suspect, too. They have played two ranked teams (West Texas A&M & Lubbock Christian) to start the season but so far are ranked 12th in the GAC in scoring defense (73.0 ppg allowed).
Scouting Northwestern Oklahoma State
So far, the Rangers have yet to play an NCAA Division 2 contest. NWOSU has played three NAIA teams: Oklahoma Panhandle State, Friends and Kansas Christian.
In those three games, the Rangers have averaged 81.3 points and hit 44.8 percent from the field.
Faith Simpson is the Rangers' leading scorer averaging 16.7 points. That's fourth-best in the GAC. Additionally, she is slotted first in field-goal percentage (60%) and fourth in rebounding (8.0).
Carly Craig's 22 assists and 7.3 per-game average are tops in the GAC. She is also Northwestern's top three-point shooter having hit 7-of-20 (35%) through three contests.
For more info on Bison women's hoops, follow the team on
Twitter and
Instagram.
