|
Southern Arkansas LADY MULERIDERS (8-8, 4-6 GAC) |
vs. Ouachita Baptist LADY TIGERS(4-12, 2-8 GAC)
Saturday, January 25 @ 2 p.m
Magnolia, Ark. (W.T. Watson Center)
Live Audio (SAU Feed) | Live Stats | Live Video (SAU Feed) |
|
|
GAME NOTES (PDF)
Setting the Stage
The Southern Arkansas women's basketball team looks to make it two wins in a row as they play host to Ouachita Baptist on Saturday afternoon in the W.T. Watson Center. In their last game, the Lady Muleriders broke their longest losing skid of the season, four games, with a dominating 79-55 win over Arkansas-Monticello.
The Coaches
Southern Arkansas' first-year head coach Rusty Rainbolt continues to push the Lady Mulerider basketball program in a different direction as his 2013-14 squad has already won more games (7) than the previous three years combined. This will be Rainbolt's first games against Harding and Arkansas Tech.
Ouachita Baptist is coached by Garry Crowder. Crowder is in his 19th season at Ouachita. In his time at OBU, Crowder has compiled a 290-207 record. Five times Crowder's teams have won 19 or more games.
Last Time Out
The Lady Muleriders are coming off of a 79-55 win at home against Arkansas-Monticello on Thursday night. In that game, the Lady Muleriders got an efficient and balanced offensive effort. As a team, the Lady Muleriders shot 53% (32-of-61) from the floor. Individually, 11 different Lady Muleriders scored in the game with five reaching double figures.
Last Time vs. Ouachita Baptist (December 5, 2013)
These two teams have already met this season and it was the Lady Muleriders who launched a huge second-half comeback to overtake the Lady Tigers by a score of 73-69. Statistically in that game, three Lady Muleriders scored in double figures with Chanel Miller leading the way with a game-high 18 points. Allie Wade and Courtney Lindsey would come off the bench and combine for 26 points as Wade scored 16 and Lindsey 10. A majority of Wade's damage came from beyond the arc as she was 4-of-5. Lindsey picked up six of her points from the charity stripe as she was 6-of-8 from the free throw line.
Checking the Standings
Southern Arkansas enters this today's action with a 4-6 record in the GAC and is currently in ninth-place, but stands to be the No. 7 seed in the tournament should the season end today.
Ouachita Baptist enters play tonight with a 2-8 mark in the GAC and is 10th in the conference standings. If the season were to end today, Ouachita Baptist would be the eighth and final seed in the GAC Tournament.
Rainbolt Era Bringing Culture Change
Since his hire in April of 2013, first-year head coach Rusty Rainbolt has worked hard to change the culture surrounding the Southern Arkansas women's basketball team. In the few months since, Rainbolt's efforts are beginning to show early returns as fans and players alike are buying into his "family-first" atmosphere.
Evidence of that from a fan perspective is the fact that the average home attendance is up from a year ago through the first seven home games. Evidence of the players buying in is in the fact that 11 players average 10.0 or more minutes of playing time a game. Additionally, the Lady Muleriders have won more games (8) than the previous three seasons combined.
Gotta Start with One
Mired in a 35-game losing streak, the revamped 2013-14 Lady Muleriders wasted little time in snapping that lengthy streak as they won their home-opener over Rogers State by a score of 86-72. The win was the first for the program since January 26, 2012 and was the first for Rusty Rainbolt as the Lady Mulerider head coach.
Full-Court Pressure
Early on in the season, one thing that can be expected from the SAU women's basketball team is that they will play a lot of full-court pressure defense. That up-tempo style of defense has frustrated opposing offenses to commit 350 turnovers. 188 (54%) of those forced turnovers have been a result of a steal by the Lady Muleriders. Those 188 steals are tops in the GAC.
Give Me A Break
Six times this season, the Lady Muleriders have held a lead heading into halftime. In those games, the
Lady Muleriders are 5-1. In games in which they either trail or are tied at the half, the Lady Muleriders are 3-7.
Spreading the Wealth
Only one player is averaging double figures on the season, but that is not to say that the Lady Muleriders are not scoring. On the year, SAU is averaging 69.7 points per game, and those points are coming from a variety of sources as seven players are averaging 5.0 or more points a game.
Wade Makes School History
On December 23, 2013, junior guard Allie Wade made school history as she became the first Lady Mulerider basketball player to be named Player of the Week in the Great American Conference.
SAU has been a member of the GAC since the 2011-12 season.
Logging the Minutes
So far this year, all 13 active players have started at least once game, but no player has started every game. This has led to a fairly even distribution of minutes among the players. Evidence of this is the fact that 11 players average over 10.0 minutes a game and six average over 20 minutes per game.
Chanel No. 3
Despite only starting six games, junior forward Chanel Miller has been the Lady Muleriders' top scorer over the first 16 games this season as she averages 16.1 ppg. In all but two games, Miller has scored in double-figures and has scored 18 or more points eight times. In her most recent game, Miller scored a career-high 34 points.
Growing Up
Last year, the Southern Arkansas women's basketball team was one of the youngest teams in the GAC as they had 12 freshmen or sophomores, only two juniors and no seniors. This year, thanks to only three returners and 10 transfers, the Lady Muleriders' roster boasts 12 juniors, one senior, and no freshmen or sophomores.
Crashing the Boards
Through 16 games, the Lady Muleriders are showing the ability to pull down rebounds at a high clip.
On the year, SAU is 4th in the GAC in total rebounds per game (43.3) and rank first in offensive rebounds per game (17.3). Helping lead the charge in rebounding is Miranda Grier, Chanel Miller, Mariam Ridgwell, and Barvion Wyatt. Those four average 4.7 or more rebounds per game and collectively, they are responsible for 20.5 (47%) of the team's 43.3 rebounds per game.
Quick Hands
With a GAC-leading 11.8 steals per game on the season, the Lady Muleriders are showing that they are very active and have quick hands on the defensive end of the court. As with most stat categories, the steals come as a team effort as eight players have at least 11 steals on the year. Leading the way individually is Allie Wade with 33 steals.
Dialing Long Distance
Three-point shooting has not been a strong suit of the Lady Muleriders so far this season as they are connecting on just 25% of their tries from long range. While the percentage is low, the Lady Muleriders also do not shoot many three's as is. So far, only 21% of their field goal attempts come from beyond the arc.
