Oklahoma Baptist is hoping its third GAC Tournament game all-time and third matchup against Arkansas Tech this season goes the Bison's way when the teams meet in the quarterfinal round tomorrow at noon at FireLake Arena.
OBU attained the No. 5 seed at the conclusion of the regular season which produced a 16-12 overall record and 12-10 league mark. For Arkansas Tech, the No. 4 seed, they are 14-12 and 12-10 in the GAC.
Tomorrow's game will be carried by the Bison Sports Network with Todd Miller and Scott Wanish on the call.
Third Time's The Charm
Friday's game in the GAC Tournament Quarterfinal against Arkansas Tech is multiple things: OBU's third GAC Tournament game all-time and the team's third matchup versus the Golden Suns this season. In both situations, the green and gold are 0-2. In tournament history, OBU fell to Southern Nazarene in 2021 (69-64) and to Southwestern Oklahoma State in 2018 (80-72). This season against ATU, the Bison fell by scores of 76-50 and 67-52.
The Coach's Thoughts
Here are Head Coach Bo Overton's thoughts on the matchup with Arkansas Tech: "I think Jalei Oglesby is the hardest player in our league to guard. They play very well together and play very hard. As it is in every game we play, we will have to rebound very well to have a chance." In the two previous matchups with OBU, Oglesby made 18-of-33 (55%) and averaged 21.5 points per game. Additionally, the Golden Suns out-rebounded the Bison by an average of 16.5 boards in the two contests.
Returning to Their Roots
At one point during the year, OBU was ranked the No. 2 free throw shooting team in the country. After a bit of a dry spell, the Bison turned in another superb performance last game against East Central. In the regular-season finale, the team hit 19-of-21 for 90.5 percent. That was the fourth-highest percentage this season. In that game, Jaedyn Getman went 9-for-9 while Kayla Highfill posted a 6-for-7 line. Plus, Kennedy Large made both of her attempts. Currently, the team's 77.8 free throw mark is third-best in school history.
She Is The One
Who is the GAC's top freshman scorer? She resides in Shawnee and her name is Jaedyn Getman. Her 13.3 scoring average is 15th-best in the league. Getman's 43.8 percent shooting mark is slotted 18th. Plus, she is fourth in free throw percentage (85.7) and 20th in rebounding (5.3). With those numbers, the Stratford, Okla., was named GAC Freshman of the Year. She is the school's first player to earn that honor since joining the league full-time in 2017-18.
The Right Read
A two-game winning streak was achieved heading into the postseason for OBU. One of the main reasons for that was the Bison's ability to make good passes. In wins over Southeastern and East Central, the green and gold tallied 34 assists on 50 made field goals. That two-game assist total was the best since OBU attained 37 in contests versus Southern Arkansas (1/26) and Arkansas-Monticello (1/28). Madison Chambers tallied a combined 10 assists in the last two games while Melissa Southard added seven.
A Senior Year to Remember
Coach Bo Overton made it known in the preseason that senior guard Madison Chambers, among others, needed to step her game up. She did that and more in 2022-23. The Muldrow, Okla., native was named to the All-GAC Honorable Mention team, her first career all-conference honor. Chambers reached double-digit scoring 20 times this season, including a a career-best 22 vs. Oklahoma Christian on Dec. 6. She finished the regular season ranked seventh in assists (3.3), 20th in scoring (12.2) and 22nd in field goal percentage (43.2).
Last Time in the GAC Tournament
On March 1, 2021, OBU played No. 3 seed Southern Nazarene. After three quarters of play, the Bison led 53-40. What followed was a SNU comeback, denying the green and gold their first GAC Tournament win. The Crimson Storm won 69-64, shot 60 percent from the field in the fourth and made 5-of-10 from deep. Jaylin Stapleton led all scorers with 20 points while Andreja Peciuraite notched a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
Playing For History
The Bison are sitting at 16 wins this season. Another one Friday against Arkansas Tech would be the squad's 17th. That would match the most by an OBU team in the D2 era. During the program's first transitional season in 2015-16, the Bison attained a 17-16 overall record.
Scouting Arkansas Tech
The Golden Suns ended their regular season in a funk. Before a 94-87 win over Southern Arkansas on Feb. 25, ATU had lost five in a row. Two of those were losses by a combined seven points to the GAC's top-two in the standings - Southern Nazarene and Harding.
As noted, Jalei Oglesby is the key player for the Golden Suns. She is the GAC leader and ranks 12th in the country in scoring (21.0). Oglesby is also slotted second in the GAC in rebounding (9.2) and fourth in field goal percentage (52%).
ATU's offense is productive, too. It is scoring 70.7 points per game. That's good for third in the conference. In the two previous games against OBU, coach Dave Wilbers' team averaged 71.5 per contest.
The Golden Suns' rebounding ability cannot be understated. They are the conference leader and rank No. 6 nationally in rebounds per game at 44.1.
Kaley Shipman is ATU's best free throw shooter, ranking fifth in the GAC (85.5%).
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