Week 3 Preview: Midwestern State

Editor's Note: Due to Thanksgiving, this will be the only game notes package this week
SHAWNEE – For the third time in as many seasons, Oklahoma Baptist (1-2) will play Midwestern State (0-3). This matchup will come Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. inside the Noble Complex.
 
The Bison Sports Network's Todd Miller and Scott Wanish will have the call beginning around 6:30.
 

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Unguardable
Freshman Parker Stevenson put on a show on Nov. 17 as the Bison got their first win, defeating Oklahoma City 78-45. The newcomer, in just 17 minutes of action, dialed up a game-high 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting which included making all three of her three-point shots. Defensively, Stevenson also tied for the game-high with three steals. Her offensive performance was most noteworthy though. Stevenson's 80-percent shooting effort had only been accomplished by one other Bison freshman in the Division II era. That was from Jaedyn Getman in last February's win against Southeastern Oklahoma State.
 
Copeland's Career Night
Junior Sierra Copeland had flirted with a double-double a few times over her freshman and sophomore campaigns. Then on Nov. 17 versus Oklahoma City, she broke through. The 6-foot-3 forward made 4-of-6 from the field for 10 points and also tallied 11 rebounds. Her rebounding mark was a career-high and included four offensive boards. Through three games this season, Copeland ranks 20th in the GAC in rebounds per game (5.7).
 
Getting Into Gear
OBU's offense was very good last week against OCU. It made 31 field goals and shot 42.5 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from beyond the arc. All those totals were season-bests. In the first half alone, the green and gold were sensational. They made 19-of-35 shots (54.2%) and committed just five turnovers. That helped the Bison attain a 48-15 halftime lead.
 
Let's Remember
Just about a year ago, Nov. 22, 2022, the Bison pulled off one of their most memorable wins in Division II history. Against Midwestern State, OBU trailed 11-1 midway through the first. Then in the fourth, they were down 62-47 with 6:37 minutes left. Magic followed. Down the stretch, OBU made seven of 10 field goals and 15 of 17 from the free throw line. Then-guard Erika Ankney scored 27 points for the Bison and made all but one of her 18 free throws. Plus, Madison Chambers and Getman reached double-figuring scoring. That win sparked an eventual nine-game winning streak for OBU.
 
Second-Chance Opportunities
The Bison held a 47-37 rebounding advantage over OCU in that game last week. Sixteen (16) of those boards were on the offensive end. Getman and Copeland each tallied four to lead the team. The 16 offensive boards were the most since the team attained 20 in a game at Arkansas Tech on Jan. 14, 2023. With that effort against OCU, the Bison were able to double up the Stars in second-chance points (14-7).
 
Reinforcements Found
Forty-one of the Bison's 78 points against Oklahoma City came from the team's bench players. On top of Stevenson's 19, Sydney Duncan, Chloe Poole, Payten Conde, Catyn Graham and Aubrey Marjason tallied the other 22 for the green and gold. The last time an OBU bench scored at least 40 points came on Jan. 22, 2022 during a 97-67 win at Arkansas-Monticello. In that contest, there were 46 bench points.
 
The Bison Pickpocket
Over the last two games, OBU has collected 28 steals. Eleven of those came against Washburn while 17 more were registered against Oklahoma City. The total versus the Stars were the most since the program got 20 in a game against Central Christian on Dec. 31,2018. With the performances of the last two games, OBU moved into the top-44 in the country with 11.7 steals per game. Heading into the new week, five different Bison have at least five steals: Getman, Conde, Chambers, Stevenson and Kennedy Large.
 
A Week Against the Lone Star Conference
OBU has three games this week. Tuesday's matchup with Midwestern State, as well as a weekend tournament in San Antonio, Texas against Texas A&M-Kingsville and St. Mary's. The latter two matchups will be the first-ever contests against the Javelinas and Rattlers. Those games on Nov. 24 and 25 will be a part of the St. Mary's Thanksgiving Classic at Bill Greehey Arena. In the Bo Overton era, the Bison are 7-1 against LSC schools.
 
Meet the Mustangs
Midwestern State, after going 6-22 last year in the Lone Star Conference, hired Brenita Jackson on April 14, 2022 to lead the program. She is the 12th coach in MSU's history.
 
Jackson previously worked at NAIA Texas Wesleyan. In her two seasons with the Rams, Jackson led that program to 52 wins and made the round of 16 in the NAIA national tournament each year. Before moving on to Midwestern State, Jackson led Texas Wesleyan to a 27-6 record in 2022-23 and was named a a WBCA NAIA National Coach of the Year finalist.
 
Highlighting some of MSU's top players is Kertisa Amos. Like the head coach Jackson, the 5-foot-9 guard from Burleson, Texas, was a member of Texas Wesleyan last season. She was named an LSC Player to Watch on Oct. 23. Through three games, Amos leads Midwestern State with a 19.0 points per game average. That mark is also tied for 48th in the country. She scored 22 on 10-of-19 shooting against Adams State on Nov. 11.
 
Junior forward Zarria Carter has been outstanding so far this season. Her 13.3 rebounding average is third-best in Division II. She also ranks just outside in the top-50 in the country in scoring average (18.3). Carter, a native of Mansfield, Texas, has scored as many as 34 points this young season. That tally came against Adams State on Nov. 11 when she also shot 13-of-17 from the field and pulled down 18 rebounds. Also of note, the 34 points tied for the eighth-best total in MSU single-game history.
 
Midwestern State's biggest issue has been defense. They are allowing 87.3 points per game. That number ranks 282nd out of 290 Division II schools slotted. University of Colorado-Colorado Springs scored 83, Adams State tallied 102 and Southeastern Oklahoma State registered 77 against the Mustangs.
 
Speaking of the matchup with Southeastern, a 77-62 loss for the Mustangs, the Savage Storm had an incredible 22-0 run against MSU. The scoreboard read 36-18 MSU with 1:35 left in the second. Over the next 5:35 of game time, SE hit eight of its next 11 shots and took a 40-36 advantage.
 
The Mustangs also rank 285th in three-point field-goal percentage (16.4) and 287th in field-goal percentage defense (49.7).
 
Their best team mark is on the offensive rebounding category. With an average of 18.7 offensive boards per game, MSU ranks 11th nationally. Carter leads that front with the fourth-best offensive rebounds per game average in Division II (6.3).
 
Back in late October, MSU was picked to finish in 15th in the Lone Star Conference.