SHAWNEE – The final two home games on the Oklahoma Baptist women's basketball schedule take place the next few days at the Noble Complex.
Tomorrow at 5:30, the Bison host Arkansas-Monticello before welcoming Southern Arkansas to Shawnee on Jan. 19 at 1 p.m. Currently, OBU is vying for a top-eight finish in the GAC standings with four games remaining.
The green and gold are in eighth place with an 8-10 conference mark.
A New Lineup
For at least Thursday's game against Monticello, the Bison will have a starting lineup not previously used this season. The team's second-leading scorer,
Mallory Lockhart, will run point while junior
Madison Chambers will occupy the two. What might be most intriguing with this lineup is the frontcourt.
Payton Taylor,
Jill Leslie and
Andreja Peciuraite, who all stand at least six feet, will occupy the three, four and five spots, respectively. That could pose problems for UAM. The Cotton Blossoms rank last in the GAC in rebounding offense and defense. On the flip side, OBU is ninth and third in those categories.
A Formidable Defense
Currently, the Bison are allowing 67.0 points per game to opponents. If the season were to end today, that would be the fewest points given up by OBU in the Division II era (since 2017-18). The green and gold are sixth in the GAC with that number. In 15 of 24 games this season, the Bison have allowed no more than 67 points. OBU has also given up less than 60 points in four games including a season-best 52 during the January 15 win at home against Northwestern Oklahoma State (68-52).
The Bison-Blossom Matchup
The 12th all-time matchup between Oklahoma Baptist and Arkansas-Monticello is on tap this week. In series history, this has been a back-and-forth affair. The first four matchups were split before the green and gold won two of the next three to seize a 4-3 series advantage. A 75-70 win by OBU on Jan. 26, 2019 helped the Bison get to that 4-3 margin. The Blossoms then followed with three straight victories in the series before OBU won 97-67 on January 22, 2022.
Lockhart Long-Range Update
Lockhart knocked down a trio of three balls in the Bison's last game against Southern Nazarene on February 15 at the Noble Complex. Those makes booster her season total to 63. That mark is tied for 15th in the country. The junior transfer is also connecting on 40.6 percent from deep. That total slots Lockhart 36th in DII. This year, she has hit multiple threes in 14 games including a season-best seven in the contest vs. Washburn on Nov. 13. She also knocked down six in the Dec. 7 win at Oklahoma Christian.
Last Time Out
Southern Nazarene's defense held Oklahoma Baptist to a 25-percent shooting mark during a 53-42 victory against the green and gold on February 14 at the Noble Complex.
OBU fell to 12-12 and 8-10 in the Great American Conference with the result.
Lockhart led OBU with 11 points while
Kennedy Large contributed nine in her first start of the season. As a team, though, the Bison's 25-percent shooting mark was a season-low.
Southern Nazarene, which came into the game as the No. 1 scoring defense in the GAC, held OBU to 28 points in the final three quarters.
Scouting Arkansas-Monticello
The Cotton Blossoms have continually struggled this campaign. They are 0-23 and have not won a game since last season, a 76-71 victory against Harding on January 9, 2021. That's one win in their last 31 contests.
UAM ranks 12th in the GAC in scoring offense (56.9) and defense (84.4). The team's -27.5 scoring margin ranks 294th out of 295 teams listed on the NCAA's Division II statistics page.
Taylor Flores has been the bright spot this year for second-year coach Markell Cox. She ranks 10th in the conference in scoring (15.4). Flores has also made a league-high 63 three-pointers, a total this is 15th-best in the country. In UAM's previous contest against OBU on January 22, she scored a game-high 36 points and made a whopping nine 3-pointers.
Rounding out Monticello's top contributors is Bailey Harris. She is 11th in the conference in offensive rebounds per game (2.2) and is ninth in free throw percentage (79.6).
Scouting Southern Arkansas
The Muleriders have the second-best scoring offense in the GAC (81.9). They do so because of their fast pace. However, in the last six games, they have lost four times and not eclipsed 72 points in those half-dozen contests.
Defensively, SAU has been inconsistent. Its 80.3 points allowed is 11th out of 12th. Plus, they are allowing teams to make 45.9 percent. That's dead last.
Kisi Young has led Southern Arkansas. She is 18th in the GAC in scoring (13.5) and tenth in rebounding (7.0). Young has also posted the third-best field goal percentage total in the league (52.5).
Additionally, Diamond Morris, who came off the bench to score 15 in SAU's 76-69 win over OBU on Jan. 20, is 22nd in scoring (11.7).
