SHAWNEE – The first-place Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm (13-4, 9-1 GAC) come to Bison Hill to start the week for Oklahoma Baptist (11-5, 7-3 GAC).
It is the first of three home games this week for the Bison. After Monday's game, the green and gold host Southern Arkansas and Arkansas-Monticello on Jan. 26 and 28, respectively. Thursday's game will be a White Out at the Noble Complex.
Coverage of all three games can be found on OBUBison.com as Todd Miller and Scott Wanish provide commentary.
A Much-Needed Win
The Bison snapped a small three-game skid after a 68-66 victory at Northwestern Oklahoma State on Jan. 21. That result boosted the team's record to 11-5 and 7-3 in the GAC, good for third place and two games behind first. Against the Rangers, freshman
Jaedyn Getman scored a career-high 23 points which included the game-winning free throws with 44 seconds left. Also of note, sophomore
Sierra Copeland came up with two big blocks in the fourth that aided in the two-point win.
Coming in Clutch
As mentioned above,
Jaedyn Getman secured the game-winning points for the green and gold against Northwestern. She ended up shooting 50 percent from the field, made two of three from downtown and was a perfect 11-for-11 at the foul line. This season, the newcomer from Stratford is the conference leader in free throw percentage (94.7) and ranks 21st in scoring (12.3). Getman has scored in double figures in 14 of 16 starts as well.
The Southern Nazarene Matchup
Last season, OBU stole a win at SNU, 67-66, with late free throws by former player
Jaylin Stapleton. And then during the second affair, SNU was victorious 53-42 in Shawnee. This year, OBU, who trails in the series 18-10, has several advantages against the Storm. The Bison are second in the GAC in three-point field goal percentage while SNU is 10th. OBU also is first in free throw percentage while the Storm sit in fifth. Plus, OBU ranks fifth in turnovers per game while SNU is eighth.
Sizzling From Deep
Keep an eye out on guard
Erika Ankney. Over her last two games, the senior from Harrah has made seven of 12 from downtown. She drilled a trio of deep shots against Southwestern before hitting a season-high four at Northwestern. With those marks, Ankney climbed to second in the GAC in three-point field goal percentage (47.1). She is only off the GAC lead by .5, held by East Central's Emily Wilson (47.6).
A Crucial Home Stand
Coach
Bo Overton's team has three straight games coming this week at the Noble Complex. Following tonight's game vs. SNU, the team will host Southern Arkansas on Jan. 26 followed by Arkansas-Monticello on Jan. 28. Should the green and gold come out victorious in all three contests, they'll have matched last season's win total (14) and stay among the top three in the GAC standings.
Free Throw Update
The Bison are now at 80.5 percent shooting from the free throw line this season. That's good for fifth in the nation. Also of note, if the season ended today, that 80.5 percent mark would be a school single-season record. Leading the way for OBU is
Jaedyn Getman (94.7),
Malou Savanna (94.1),
Kennedy Large (88.9),
Erika Ankney (85.7) and
Sydney Duncan (80.0).
A Look Ahead
After tonight's game against SNU, the Bison will host Southern Arkansas and Arkansas-Monticello. SAU is the GAC leader and rank top five in the country with an 84.1 scoring average. The Muleriders are 7-9 this year and 3-7 in the league. As for the Cotton Blossoms (7-9, 4-6), they are vastly improved after not winning a game last season. OBU plays SAU at 5:30 on Thursday while they'll compete against UAM at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Scouting Southern Nazarene
Southern Nazarene has won 11 of its last 12 games after a 77-52 win at home against East Central on Jan. 21. That win was coach Trent May's 400th career victory. In his five years at SNU, May has produced a 78-45 record.
The Crimson Storm possess the top scoring defense in the GAC this season. Through 16 games, they are giving up a league-low 57.1 points per game. That currently ranks 28th in the nation.
One other positive for SNU is its three-point defense. They are allowing 27.7 percent from deep, a mark that's second in the GAC and a top-50 mark in Division II.
SNU's biggest issue to date is offense. With a 66.2 scoring average, they sit ninth of 12 in the GAC. The Storm aren't exactly the best three-point shooters either, sitting in 10th with a 29.7 mark.
Georgia Adams is the Storm's top scorer. She ranks eighth in the GAC with a 15.5 scoring average. The junior from Perth, Australia has scored in double figures in 12 of 14 starts with a season-high 33 points against Southeastern Oklahoma State on Nov. 33. One concern: turnovers. Adams has committed a team-high 43 turnovers.
Don't let senior guard Cassandra Awatt's size (5-foot-8) fool you. She's a force in the paint. She is second in the GAC in rebounding (9.0). Awatt also ranks 12th in the GAC in scoring (13.9) and is second in steals (2.7).
The last player to keep an eye out on is Hannah Giddey. She is third in the conference in field-goal percentage (55.1).
