BULLDOGS OPEN DIVISION PLAY AT ECU

January 16, 2006

Weatherford, OK - Southwestern Oklahoma State will quickly learn if a rugged early-season schedule was enough to prepare it for the Lone Star Conference North Division basketball race. The Bulldogs begin the first of 12 straight games exclusively against North division competition when they travel to face East Central University in a men’s and women’s doubleheader Wednesday night in Ada.

Men’s coach Scott Reed remains optimistic and believes that his squad has yet to play its best basketball and should get better collectively as the season progresses.

“I don’t think our record (3-12) is indicative of the caliber of team that we can be,” Reed said. “Its obvious this year’s team doesn’t have the margin of error that past teams enjoyed. We’ve stressed positive production from everybody on the floor and everybody on the bench. That’s what we need if we are to be successful.”

SWOSU will play its first division home game Saturday, Jan. 21 against Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. for the women’s game and 4 p.m. for the men’s game.

For the SWOSU women the timing could not be better as the Bulldogs are coming off their most impressive win of the season, defeating No. 21 Angelo State, 63-53, on the road Saturday.

Coach Shelly Pond’s team, now with a 7-8 overall record, is hoping the ASU victory will generate enough momentum to create a string of victories and push them to the front of the division standings. The SWOSU women have been difficult to gauge, playing near flawless ball in two victories over previously unbeaten Arkansas Tech and the ASU win. Other times, the Bulldogs have looked out of sync in disappointing losses to Abilene Christian and Texas Woman’s.

Still, the Bulldogs have two of the best players in the conference on their team with forward Julie Dawson (6-0, Sr., F, Arnett) and center Andrea Oldham (6-0, Jr., C, Stigler). Dawson has scored 20 or more points in back-to-back games and is among the league leaders in three-point accuracy making better than 40% of her shots.

Oldham, in her first year at SWOSU since transferring from Eastern Oklahoma State, has taken a lot of the scoring and rebounding pressure off Dawson since her arrival. Oldham is averaging 14.3 points and 6.2 rebounds a game and has led the team in both categories six times this season.

The SWOSU men hope to reverse a trend that has seen them play well at home while struggling on the road. The Bulldogs are 3-2 at home with impressive victories over (11-4) West Texas A&M and (10-5) Texas A&M-Kingsville, but are winless in 10 attempts away from Weatherford.