SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist's final road swing to the Natural State comes Thursday and Saturday with road dates against Arkansas-Monticello and Southern Arkansas.
OBU plays UAM on Feb. 16 at 5:30 p.m. while facing SAU on Feb. 18 at 1 p.m. Earlier this year, the Bison defeated the Blossoms 67-58 and the Muleriders 73-64.
The Bison Sports Network will be in attendance for the contests with Todd Miller and Scott Wanish on the radio call.
Four Games to Go
Despite the team's recent struggles, the Bison are still in good shape for the Great American Conference Tournament set to begin March 2 at nearby FireLake Arena. OBU is 13-11 and 9-9 in the GAC. That's good for fifth place in the standings. Coach
Bo Overton's team has a two-game lead on the sixth-, seventh- and eighth-place teams (Ouachita, Southern Arkansas and East Central) with these contests left: at Arkansas-Monticello, Southern Arkansas and Southeastern as well as a home date with East Central on Feb. 25.
Making Her Mark
The freshman season of
Jaedyn Getman has been nothing short of solid. She has scored in double figures 17 times including five 20-point outputs. The Stratford, Okla., native is 18th in the GAC in scoring (12.7) and third in free throw percentage (86.1). Last game at Southern Nazarene, she became the first Bison freshman in the D2 era to go 4-of-4 from the three-point line. Plus, she already has 304 total points, the most by an OBU freshman in the D2 era.
Still Hustlin'
While the Bison's offense has been the main issue the last five games, their defense has given them a chance. OBU has given up 37.7 percent shooting to its opponents and an even better defense from beyond the three-point line (29.8%). The Bison have also notched 43 steals, an 8.6 per-game average.
Melissa Southard has led that front with a total of nine steals. OBU has also blocked 4.1 shots per game in the last five contests. Currently, OBU sits in third in the GAC in that category (3.71 BPG). Sophomore
Jill Leslie is the category leader in blocks, ranking third in the GAC with 35 and a 1.5 average.
The Final Haul to Arkansas
The longest road trip of the season comes this week with games at Arkansas-Monticello and Southern Arkansas. Round trip from Shawnee to Monticello to Magnolia is 988 miles and over 15 hours of drive time. OBU should feel confident going out to play the Blossoms and Muleriders. In the two previous games against UAM and SAU, the Bison defense held those teams to a combined 33.3 percent shooting and 32.4 percent from three. For OBU, it made 50.5 percent from the field and 80 percent (32-of-40) from the foul line and averaged 70 points per game. Individually,
Kennedy Large,
Jill Leslie,
Jaedyn Getman and
Madison Chambers all averaged double-figure scoring.
Finding The Win Column
Put aside all the stats and a recent skid on the hardwood. This OBU team, which has 13 wins, still has a good chance to attain the most victories in the D2 era since the program started the transition in 2015-16. During that year, OBU notched 17 wins. A year ago, that team tallied 14 victories, the second-most in the D2 era. It should be noted: OBU's last four regular-season games this year are against teams they have already beaten.
Scouting Arkansas-Monticello
The Cotton Blossoms enter Thursday's contest on a three-game losing streak. During this, UAM has been outscored by 20.7 points per game. They have shot 33.5 percent from the field, 26 percent from deep and turned it over 20 times per game.
UAM's offense ranks 11th of 12 in the GAC in scoring (61.8 ppg) and last in turnover margin (-2.17). The Blossoms' three-point defense is very good though, limiting opponents to 29.3 percent. That ranks No. 2 in the conference.
Bailey Harris is Monticello's top scoring threat. She checks in at eighth in the GAC in scoring (15.0 ppg). She has reached double figures in 21 of 24 games with a season-high 23 reached three different times. Harris also is eighth in three-point field goal percentage (38.4%).
In the frontcourt Joi Montgomery is slotted 11th in the GAC in rebounding (6.7). She is also 16th in field-goal percentage (44.3%). Montgomery has shot at least 50 percent in nine different games this year.
Fellow forward Cyarah Kensmil has 15 blocks this season which is good for tenth in the GAC.
Scouting Southern Arkansas
Southern Arkansas has won three of its last five games after an 85-59 win over Arkansas-Monticello on Feb. 13
The Muleriders have the ninth-best scoring offense in the country at 79.6 points per game. They are also the nation's leader at 35.9 three-point attempts per contest.
Southern Arkansas also ranks tied for 11th in Division II with 12.2 steals per game. SAU's main issue: defense. It ranks last in the GAC in points allowed (74.5) and opponent field goal percentage (46.1).
Diamond Morris' 12.5 points per game is good for 19th in the GAC. She is also 14th in three-point field goal percentage (35.7).
Braydyn Hill has led SAU's offense in the assist department. She's got 79 total this season, a 3.3 per-game average. That mark is good for seventh in the conference.
