SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist returns home to the Noble Complex this week for games against Arkansas Tech and No. 13 Harding. The Bison face ATU at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 11 before a 1 p.m. matchup with HU on Saturday the 13th.
Tinker Federal Credit Union will serve as the game-day sponsor during the Jan. 11 contest with the Golden Suns. They will provide the first 50 OBU fans with a $10 voucher to spend at concessions.
Todd Miller and Scott Wanish of the Bison Sports Network will be on the call of these games.
Reviewing Last Week
A couple things stood out for the Bison after they fell at Ouachita and Henderson State last week. In the first and second quarters, opponents outscored the Bison 81-35. The Bison's defense allowed the Tigers and Reddies to combine to make both 47 percent from the field and from deep. Alternatively, the green and gold's offense hit 34 percent from the field and 20 from three-point range. Plus, the Bison turned the ball over, committing 40 miscues while making six less field goals (34).
Defending the Three
OBU is nearly at the midpoint of its season and one issue that's needing improvement is the team's three-point defending. Last week, Ouachita made 10 from deep, its second-highest total this year, while Henderson State connected on 13 from long range, a season-best. With those marks, the Bison remained in 12th in the Great American Conference giving up 36.5 percent from beyond the three-point line.
Continuing to Lead
Jaedyn Getman averaged 15 points per game last week and continued her strong sophomore campaign. She sits in fourth in the conference and 37th nationally with 18.0 points per contest. The Stratford, Okla., native also checks in at No. 14 in the GAC in field-goal percentage (46.6) and sixth in three-point shooting (44.1). On top of that, Getman has the sixth-best free throw percentage in the GAC at 87.5 and in nine of 12 games this season, she has led the squad in scoring.
Well How About That
During the team's Jan. 6 game at Henderson State,
Parker Stevenson did something no other Bison freshman had done in a Division II game since 2015-16. Along with her nine points, the newcomer notched five steals, a program-first for a freshman. This season, Stevenson, a native of Shawnee, has collected multiple steals in six of 12 games played and ranks 15th in the league with 1.8 steals per game.
Another Tough Stretch
It was mentioned last week of the Bison's struggles in Arkadelphia, Ark., against Ouachita and Henderson State. Well, this week is no different. Arkansas Tech and Harding, two of the usual favorites in the Great American Conference have had success against OBU. The Golden Suns have won six of the last eight, however, the last time the Bison and ATU played, OBU won 73-67 in the GAC Tournament a season ago. That was OBU's first-ever conference tourney victory. As for the matchup with HU, the Bison have lost nine in a row dating back to Feb. 8. 2018. As for the team's lone win, OBU defeated Harding 86-76 on Jan. 6, 2018.
Free Throw Fun
Oklahoma Baptist is one of four GAC schools to find themselves in the top-50 of NCAA Division II in free throw percentage. The Bison are currently in 47th as they make 75.26 percent. In eight of 12 contests this season, OBU has made at least 73 percent including a season-high 90.5 percent against Washburn back on Nov. 11. Leading the team individually is
Jaedyn Getman who has made 49-of-56 (87.5). The other conference institutions that are getting it done at the charity stripe are Henderson State (39th), Harding (29th) and Southeastern Oklahoma State (26th).
Finding a Groove
The outcome against Henderson State wasn't what OBU wanted, a 74-54 loss, but the team found some offensive fluidity. Its 43.2 percent shooting mark was its third-best total this season. Only games against Midwestern State (45.2) and St. Mary's (53.1) were better. Getman made 8-of-13 (61.5) while Stevenson made half of her 10 field-goal attempts. OBU will need to perform just as well against Arkansas Tech and Harding this week as those teams are third and fourth, respectively, in the GAC in opponent field goal percentage.
Meet the Golden Suns
Arkansas Tech is led by one of the most accomplished coaches in America. Dave Wilbers, who is in 17th year, boasts a record of 349 wins and 124 losses. In nine of his seasons in Russellville, Wilbers has led ATU to 20-plus wins. His winning percentage of .739 is slotted 22nd in Division II among active head coaches. Furthermore, he has directed ATU to 12 combined conference regular season and tournament championships.
The Golden Suns are led by freshman guard Pacious McDaniel. She is the GAC leader and ranks third in the nation in scoring at 21.8 points per game. McDaniel has scored in double figures in every game she's played (8) including a season-high 36 against Southern Arkansas on Dec. 17. She also ranks fifth in the GAC in field goal percentage (53%) and tenth in rebounding (6.4).
ATU is sound defensively. It ranks 11th in Division II in blocks (5.2) and 23rd in field goal percentage defense (35.3%). Plus, the Golden Suns' plus-10.0 rebounding margin is 12th in the nation.
Dana Thompson is one of the rebounding leaders for Arkansas Tech. Her 8.4 boards per game is good for third in the GAC. The junior from Miami, Fla., is also sixth in field goal percentage (52%).
Helping direct the ATU offense, which ranks third in the league in scoring (75.2), is 5-foot-10 guard Alex Hill. Her 31 assists and 3.1 per-game average is good for sixth in the GAC.
Meet Harding
Like ATU's coach mentioned above, Harding has its own top-tier skipper. Tim Kirby, who is in his 19th year at HU, has a record of 361-171. He has taken the program to national semifinals, won four GAC regular season championships and qualified for the NCAA Tournament three times.
HU is led by one of the GAC's all-time greats. Six-foot-4 senior center Sage Hawley (pictured right) was a D2CCA All-America selection last year and has been named GAC Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year over her career. This season, she leads the GAC and is 12th nationally in double-doubles (6) and ranks 19th in total rebounds (132). Her 17.7 points per game is also a top-50 mark in DII.
Also of note individually, Josie Williams' 93.8 free throw percentage is second-best in the country. She also averages 10.8 points per game, the second-highest total for HU.
Harding, as a team, ranks in the top-50 in a remarkable 12 statistical categories of Division II. Notably, they are 20th in both scoring margin (15.8) and turnovers per game (13.5).
Rounding out HU's top contributors is Aubrey Isbell. She is third on HU averaging 10.5 points per contest. She is hitting at least 40.7 percent from the three-point line and from the field overall.
