ARKADELPHIA – The Ouachita Baptist University men's basketball team opens the 2022 portion of this season's schedule with a long road trip to face off against Southwestern Oklahoma State and Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Ouachita's game against SWOSU is set for Thursday, January 6 at 7:30 p.m. in Weatherford. The NWOSU game is this Saturday at 3 p.m. in Alva. Game coverage links can be found at www.OBUtigers.com/coverage.

TIGER TRACKS

• Ouachita is seeking its first Great American Conference victory of the season this week with an overall record of 2-8 and an 0-4 mark in league games.
• The Tigers most recently played on December 18, a 70-60 loss to Arkansas-Monticello at home.
• Ouachita was originally scheduled to play at home last week against Southern Nazarene and Oklahoma Baptist, but those games were postponed due to COVID-19 management protocols. The Tigers will now play Oklahoma Baptist on January 11 and Southern Nazarene on January 18, both games at home inside Bill Vining Arena.
• Ouachita is in the top half of the league in free throw percentage (fourth-75.4 percent), defensive rebounds (fourth-33.6 per game), offensive rebounds (third-11.6 per game), and assists (sixth-13.3 per game).
• Ma'Darius Hobson and Kendarious Smith lead the Tigers in scoring at 15.9 and 12.9 points per game, respectively.
• Jacob Street is Ouachita's top three-point threat with 21 made shots beyond the arc this season.
• Kendarious Smith leads the GAC and ranks 13th in the nation in free throw percentage at 92.6 percent (25-for-27).
• Tylar Haynes is Ouachita's top rebounder this year at 5.3 per game.
• Larenz Nero leads the team in assists this year at 2.7 per game.

SCOUTING SWOSU

• SWOSU enters Thursday's game with an overall record of 3-7 and a 2-3 mark in GAC games. Most recently, the Bulldogs lost to Southern Arkansas on the road on New Year's Day by a final score of 70-41.
• The Bulldogs average 67 points per game, while giving up an average of 76 per game.
• After missing the first month of the season, Damion Thornton leads the Bulldogs with an average of 18 points per game. Chris Braggs, Jr. and Kamden Gibson follow at 13.1 and 11.8 points per game, respectively. Thornton also leads the team in rebounding at 6.8 per game.
• Since the inception of the GAC in 2011, Ouachita leads the series 12-7. The Tigers have won seven of the last eight meetings. The two squads did not meet last year when the GAC was divided into divisions due to COVID-19.

SCOUTING NWOSU

• NWOSU enters the week at 7-4 overall and 2-3 in GAC games. The Rangers play host to Henderson State on Thursday. Most recently, NWOSU lost to Southern Arkansas on the road on December 30 by a final score of 69-49.
• The Rangers are one of the better defensive teams in the GAC this season giving up just 68 points per game, while ranking highly in the league in blocked shots (first-5.2 per game), steals (second-7.6 per game), and field goal percentage defense (fourth-41.6 percent).
• NWOSU has four players averaging in double-digits in scoring – Larry White (14.3), Malik Parsons (11.3), Jason Douglas-Stanley (10.7), and Bubba Furlong (10.4). Furlong leads the GAC and ranks eighth in the nation in blocked shots (2.45 per game).
• Since NWOSU became a member of the GAC in 2012, Ouachita leads the series against the Rangers 11-5. The Tigers have won four of the last five meetings. The two squads did not play last year due to split divisions in the GAC.