SWOSU Hopes Return Home Boosts Team's Play

November 26, 2005

Weatherford, OK - Southwestern Oklahoma State hopes a return home Monday will help sharpen a men’s basketball team that has not won in five tries this season.

The Bulldogs will host the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma in a single men’s game, Monday, Nov. 28 at Rankin Williams Fieldhouse. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

USAO won its most recent outing Saturday against Arkansas Baptist to improve to 4-5 on the year. The Drovers, an NAIA school from Chickasha, have not done well in their last two meetings against Lone Star Conference schools, losing 92-49 to Tarleton State and 108-69 to Central Oklahoma.

SWOSU has already faced USAO earlier this year in an exhibition contest. SWOSU won 58-53 in the non-counting contest in a game played on Nov. 5 in Chickasha.

SWOSU started to regain some of its offensive touch in its last outing when it scored a season-high 59 points in a 70-59 loss to Western State of Colorado. The game was the second in a holiday tournament played by the Bulldogs at West Texas A&M. SWOSU lost 60-47 earlier Friday against Ouachita Baptist.

The Bulldogs are averaging just 50.2 points per game and connecting on 35.4 percent of their shots.

SWOSU’s Jon Gunn (6-6, Sr., F, Parker, Colo.) has been steady through the season’s first five games, leading the team in scoring all but one time. He is averaging 16.2 points while making 48 percent of his shots from the field.

Junior college transfer Michael Sampson (6-4, Jr., F, Clarksville, Tenn.) had his best game in a Bulldog uniform against Western State when he led the team in scoring with 14 points. Sampson is averaging 6.4 points and leads the team in made three pointers with six.

The USAO game is the first of three straight home games for the Bulldogs. SWOSU will host Eastern New Mexico Thursday, Dec. 1 and West Texas A&M Saturday, Dec. 3.