SHAWNEE – Seven regular-season games remain for Oklahoma Baptist starting this week with home dates against Arkansas Tech on Feb. 9 and Harding on Feb. 11.
The Bison, currently tied for fourth in the Great American Conference standings, will look to upend ATU and HU this week after those squads defeated the green and gold three weeks ago.
Thursday's contest with the Golden Suns is being presented by Tinker Federal Credit Union. Details on winning an Apple Watch 8 and a gift basket with $350 in gift cards can be found by
going here.
As usual, the Bison Sports Network will carry the game with Todd Miller and Scott Wanish on the call.
In a Turnover Funk
Over the last four games, OBU has committed at least 16 turnovers with a season-high 27 at Ouachita on Feb. 3. It marks the first time all season that the Bison have committed that many turnovers in that many consecutive contests. With those miscues, the green and gold have missed opportunities on offense. When the Bison haven't turned the ball over, they've done very well. In fact, in three of the last four games they have shot at least 45 percent from the field.
Something To Build On
OBU nearly came back at Henderson State on Feb. 5 after a solid second-half performance. The Bison only turned it over seven times in the third and fourth quarters and shot 12-of-27 (44.4%) from the field. Freshman
Jaedyn Getman scored 18 of the team's 35 second-half points as the Bison pulled a 16-point deficit all the way down to six, 60-54, with about two minutes left. Plus, senior
Melissa Southard scored seven for OBU.
In A Class of Her Own
Over the last week, newcomer
Jaedyn Getman has scored 20-plus points in two of three games. In doing so, she now has five 20-plus scoring efforts this season, a first for a Bison freshman in the D2 era (2015-16-present). Previously,
Kalifa Ford had three games in the 2019-20 campaign in which she reached at least 20 points. The Stratford, Okla., native's recent three-game stretch includes 22 points versus Monticello, 20 against Henderson and 50-percent shooting from the field (17-of-34).
No Easy Task
This week's home games against Arkansas Tech and Harding, teams ranked third and second, respectively, in the GAC, will be another challenge for the Bison who are tied for fourth in the standings. OBU beat the Golden Suns on the Noble Complex floor 90-80 last year. However, all-time, ATU leads the series 11-2. As for the matchup against Harding, the green and gold are 1-12. Their lone win came in Shawnee on Jan. 6, 2018 by an 86-76 tally. Since then, HU has won eight in a row in the series.
Doing The Dirty Work
Sydney Duncan accomplished something against Henderson State that no previous Bison freshman had done in the D2 era. She's the first freshman to record 10 rebounds and three blocks in the same game. Previously,
Kalifa Ford tallied 13 boards and two blocks against Ozark Christian on Nov. 12, 2019. Against the Reddies, Duncan, a native of Edmond, collected six of her 10 boards in the second half as well as swat three HSU shots.
Scouting Arkansas Tech
The Golden Suns had a three-game winning streak snapped after a 72-68 loss to Southeastern Oklahoma State on Feb. 4. This season, ATU is 6-2 away from home.
Arkansas Tech possesses the second-best scoring offense in the GAC (71.5). They are doing so from inside the arc. ATU is hitting 47.3% of its two-point shots while connecting on just 25.7% from deep.
Jalei Oglesby is the GAC's leading scorer at 19.7 points per game. That's also good for 14th in the nation. In the previous matchup against OBU on Jan. 14, she tallied a game-high 23 points and snaggged nine rebounds. Oglesby also ranks fifth in the GAC in field goal percentage (52.7%).
Dana Thompson ranks in the top-nine of two different categories in the GAC. She's slotted sixth in blocks (14; 0.8) and ninth in field goal percentage (47.5%).
Junior Kaley Shipman ranks 20th in the GAC in scoring at 12.6 points per game. She is ATU's best free throw shooter at 85.2 percent. That mark is also good for seventh in the conference.
Scouting Harding
Harding has won eight of its last nine games after a 56-40 win against East Central on Feb. 4. Currently the Lady Bisons are back one game of first-place Southern Nazarene in the league standings.
Coach Tim Kirby's team is among the best in the country on defense. They are 31st in scoring defense (57.3) and 19th in field goal percentage defense (35.1). In the last matchup with OBU, they held to Bison to 33.3 percent shooting.
6-foot-4 forward Sage Hawley is third in the GAC in scoring (19.0 PPG), first in rebounding (10.4), second in blocks (2.3) and fourth in field-goal percentage (54%).
Guard Jacie Evans checks in at sixth in assists (3.5) and is 15th in the GAC in scoring average (13.2). Evans is also collecting 1.8 steals per game which is good for 12th.
Among HU's other top contributors is Rory Geer. She is one of three players for the Lady Bisons to shoot above 45 percent. Currently, Geer is 18th in the GAC in field goal percentage (45.1%).
