SHAWNEE – The longest trek of the season comes Jan. 18 and 20 as Oklahoma Baptist (6-8, 3-5 GAC) heads to face Arkansas-Monticello and Southern Arkansas this week.
OBU will face the Cotton Blossoms on Thursday at 3:00 p.m. before a 1 p.m. contest against the Muleriders in Magnolia on Saturday.
Coverage of the games will be provided by the Bison Sports Network with Todd Miller and Scott Wanish on the call.
What A Difference A Week Makes
The Bison nearly pulled off back-to-back wins against league foes Arkansas Tech and No. 16 Harding last week. They did get the 'W' against ATU, 52-48, before falling in overtime, 65-61, against Harding. The main reason: not falling behind in the first half. Two weeks ago, Ouachita and Henderson State outscored the Bison 81-35 in the first half. Against the Golden Suns and HU, the scoring was much more even: 49-41 opponents.
Conde's First Start
Freshman guard
Payten Conde's first start, against a nationally-ranked team, went as well as you'd hope for Bison Head Coach
Bo Overton. The newcomer from Little River, Texas dialed up a season-best 10 points in 23 minutes of action. She made four of six shots including two 3-pointers versus HU. Her help provided a lift for OBU who nearly earned its first win over a ranked opponent in the D2 era. Keep an eye on Conde who is anticipated to start again this week at Monticello and Southern Arkansas.
MVP Quality
Does any player in the Great American Conference mean more to their team than OBU sophomore
Jaedyn Getman? Take a look at this. Her 252 points to date account for 29.5 percent of the team's scoring. She has been as consistent as they come, scoring in double figures in 12 of 14 contests. Getman has also grown leaps and bounds from the three-point line. After making 31 percent from deep last year, that mark has skyrocketed to 46.3 this year, third-best in the conference. The Stratford, Okla., native is also making 88.3 percent at the foul line and pulling down 6.3 boards per game. Both of those marks are also career-highs.
On High Alert
The Bison will have to be ready for its second Arkansas road trip coming up this week. Both Arkansas-Monticello and Southern Arkansas are much improved from a season ago. For Monticello, it has some eye-catching results, falling by one point to Harding on Dec. 9 (66-65) and a slim, three-point defeat to Ouachita, 81-78. That was the same Tigers team that held OBU to 39 points on Jan. 4. As for the contest against SAU, the Muleriders are on their way to surpassing last year's win total. They have nine this year after going 12-18 last season.
At The Midway Point
Oklahoma Baptist is halfway through its 2023-24 schedule. Currently the Bison are 6-8 overall and 3-5 in the Great American Conference. There will have to be improvement over the next six weeks as the Bison are sitting in ninth in the GAC standings. The top eight teams at the end of the regular season will qualify for the GAC Tournament set for March 7-10 at nearby FireLake Arena.
Swat 'Em Down
This year's Bison team has been the best blocking unit in the program's D2 era. Previously, no other OBU squad had ever averaged more than 3.7 blocks per contest. Through 14 games this year, the Bison are coming up with 4.2 per game. Not only is that the best since starting Division II play in 2016-17, but that mark is 35th-best in the country and third-best among GAC schools. Leading the front individually is
Jill Leslie and
Sierra Copeland with 15 and 13 blocks, respectively.
How They Match Up
Here's a look at the Bison's two contests this week at UAM and SAU. For Thursday's game, Monticello ranks eighth in scoring offense (64.1) while the Bison follow in tenth (60.7). Defensively, OBU ranks sixth giving up 63.1 points per game while Monticello sits in tenth (64.6). The most staggering stat in favor of the Bison is free throw shooting. OBU checks in at No. 6 at 74.0 percent while UAM is dead last, 12th, at 66.3. As for the matchup with the Muleriders, SAU's 77 points per game is second-best in the conference and they lead in offensive rebounds per game (15.9). They do, though, rank tenth in opponent field-goal percentage (40.2). Southern Arkansas is also the GAC leader in turnover margin (9.43).
Off The Court
This is a first for our game notes package (and not for a lack of content). This week, No. 2
Payten Conde (Jan. 15) and No. 30
Sydney Duncan (Jan. 18) are celebrating their birthdays. If you're in attendance at the games this week in Monticello and Magnolia, be sure to wish them a happy birthday.
Meet The Cotton Blossoms
Two seasons ago, Arkansas-Monticello went winless (0-28). That prompted a coaching change and it helped usher in David Midlick as head coach. In 42 games as UAM's skipper, Midlick has led the Cotton Blossoms to 14 wins.
Last week, UAM dialed up a 59-56 victory at Southeastern Oklahoma State. It was their first GAC win this season. They have been close in several others. In four of UAM's seven conference defeats, the Blossoms have lost by single digits.
Leading the charge for Monticello is Bailey Harris (pictured right). She is ninth in the conference in scoring at 15.1 points per game. Harris is also 12th in rebounding (6.2). The 5-foot-10 junior makes 43.6 percent overall but is highly efficient at her two-point shot attempts (50%).
UAM's other offensive leader is sophomore Alindsey Long. Her 11.3 scoring average is second on the team and her 33.8 mark from three-point range slots her 18th in the league.
The two biggest issues for Monticello is its free throw and three-point shooting. They are 12th in the GAC in those categories. UAM is making just 24.4 percent from deep and 66.3 percent from the charity stripe. They are, however, coming off their best performances of the year in those categories. Against Southeastern on Jan. 13, they made 44 percent from range and were 9-of-10 at the foul line.
Meet The Muleriders
Southern Arkansas has won its last two games after defeating Southeastern and East Central on Jan. 11 and 13, respectively. The Muleriders' 4-4 GAC record is tied for fifth. In fact, there are four teams with 4-4 records.
SAU's offense is dominated by taking three-point shots. They rank 30th in the country averaging 24.1 deep shots per game. The Muleriders are also slotted third in the country with 17.1 steals per game. During last year's game in Magnolia, SAU got 23 turnovers from the Bison including 11 steals and they made a whopping 20 three-pointers.
Diamond Morris leads SAU. She is 13th in the GAC in scoring (13.7) and 10th in field goal percentage (46.9). The 5-foot-11 senior is also a competent three-point shooter. Morris' 35.4 percent mark from deep is 16th-best in the conference.
Leading the three-point charge is senior Addy Tremie. She makes 43.4 percent from long range, a total that's eighth in the GAC. The Sulphur, Louisiana native has made as many as five 3-pointers in a game this season.
Helping direct SAU's fast-paced offense is Qua Chambers. Her 36 assists and 2.6 per-game average slots her ninth in the league. During a Nov. 21 contest against Christian Brothers, she dished out eight assists, a season-high. Chambers is also solid defensively securing 2.2 steals per game. That's good for sixth in the GAC.
