SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist will bring an undefeated 2-0 GAC record down to Southeastern Oklahoma State (5-5, 1-1 GAC) on Saturday, as the two clash at 3:00 p.m. inside Boomer Sullivan Arena. Overall, the Bison hold a 5-3 record, riding a three-game winning streak during the holiday season.
The game can be heard on the Bison Radio Network with the play-by-play commentary of Todd Miller and Scott Wanish. Fans can also watch the game on the Southeastern Oklahoma State Athletics YouTube page here.
Tomorrow marks the 166th all-time match-up between the two programs. SE leads the series 106-59 and has beaten the Bison four straight times. One of those contests, on Feb. 26, 2022, went down to the wire and nearly earned OBU a GAC regular-season championship, but the Savage Storm prevailed 80-76 in Durant to claim the conference title. Head coach Jason Eaker owns a 5-7 record against Southeastern, which includes a four-game winning streak spanning from Feb. 20, 2020, to Feb. 6, 2021.
GAME NOTES
STARTING OFF HOT
Saturday's victory over Northwestern Okla. St. marked the third straight season OBU has started its conference slate 2-0. OBU has a plus-24 advantage in the scoring margin the last two games, its second-best during the three-year run. A season ago, the Bison outscored its opponents (SWOSU 91-73, NWOSU 70-62) by a combined 26 points. Additionally, Oklahoma Baptist has held opponents to 63.0 ppg., its lowest during the streak, while forcing 26 turnovers.
STACKING UP AGAINST THE GAC
OBU is accompanied by Arkansas Tech and Harding as the only teams in the conference without a loss, resulting in a three-way tie for the No. 1 spot. ATU leads the trio with five straight victories, while OBU and HU have won their last three.
Statistically, Oklahoma Baptist paces the Great American Conference in eight categories: bench points per game (39.6 ppg), total bench points (317), fast-break points per game (14.9 ppg), total rebounds (358), rebounds per game (44.8/gm), offensive boards per game (15.0/gm), defensive boards per game (29.8/gm), and steals per game (8.4/gm). Five of those categories rank in the top 15 nationally, led by a No. 7 standing for rebounds per game.
Additionally, OBU boasts the second-best scoring offense (80.6 ppg), scoring margin (+11.8), three-point defense percentage (29.8%), and field-goal defense (40.9%) in the league.
ANSWERING THE CALL
During the Bison's three-game winning streak, the bench has outscored the opposing team's reserves 119-49. In Saturday's triumph over Northwestern Oklahoma State, the bench registered 38 points, including a 20-5 margin in the second half. A few days before, the reserves accounted for 60 percent of OBU's total points when facing Southwestern Oklahoma State after recording 38 bench points against Arlington Baptist.
Leading the reserves is Terry Coner Jr., who averaged 16.5 points per game off the bench last weekend. Coner scored 21 points against SWOSU before adding 12 more points to his total at Northwestern. He posted a team-best showing a free throw line, cashing in 9-of-11 (81.8%) attempts while tying for the most steals (3).
Coner remains OBU's highest scorer on the season at 15.5 ppg, with a field-goal percentage of 48.4 percent and a 42.3 percent clip from beyond the arc. Adding a couple more double-digit performances, he extended his season streak to seven, the best of any of his teammates. Three Bison matched the seven-game run last season: Paul King, Trey Doomes and D.J. Freeman.
Junior Daniel Ransom was also a significant contributor in the last two games, scoring the third-most points on the team at 12.5 ppg. Ransom turned in a season-high in points (17) on a 6-for-7 outing from the floor versus Northwestern. It matched his highest number of field goals this season. Furthermore, Ransom was a perfect 3-for-3 from range, also a season high.
Ransom ranks fourth on the squad in scoring, averaging 10.8 ppg on a scorching 58.0 field goal percentage. He is just as efficient from the charity stripe, netting 83.3 percent of his attempts, which ranks third in GAC (min. 2.5 made/gm). The 6-foot-6 forward pulls down the second-most rebounds for OBU (5.4/gm), totaling 43 thus far, while adding second-most steals (9).
VETERAN PRESENCE
Senior guard Ricky Brown was another valuable factor last week, scoring 13.5 points per game in two starts. Brown fired a 50.0 percent field-goal mark and put in the most threes (5). He registered 13 points versus SWOSU before charting 14 points against NWOSU. Additionally, Brown shot 38.5 percent from three-point land (5-13).
Currently OBU's third-leading scorer at 12.3 ppg, Brown adds the most three-point makes (16) and the fourth-most steals.
SCOUTING THE SAVAGE STORM
Southeastern Oklahoma State carries a 5-5 overall record, including a 1-1 GAC mark, into Saturday's showdown. Their non-conference featured match-ups against two nationally ranked opponents in West Texas A&M and Northern Michigan, one of which (NMU) they beat 108-101.
Last week, SE began GAC play with an 86-71 win over Southern Nazarene before falling by a point (75-74) to Southwestern Oklahoma State in Weatherford.
Southeastern has the No. 1 ranked offense in the league, averaging 87.4 points per contest. The Savage Storm knock down 10.7 threes per game, 15th-most in the country, at a 36.6 percent clip. Furthermore, SE forces the second-most turnovers per game in the GAC (15.3) and has recorded the 17th most free throws in Division II (151).
Junior guard Kody Clouet leads the team in scoring at 19.9 ppg, good for the nation's eighth-best point total (199). Clouet shoots 55.1 percent from the floor and 53.4 percent from the range. He leads the GAC in seven categories, including rebounds (56) and three-pointers (31). Furthermore, he paces the league in steals (17), averaging 1.7 per contest.
Guard Brennen Burns (15.6 ppg) and three others score over 10.0 ppg for the SE.
