SBU BEARCATS (1-7, 0-2 MIAA) vs OUACHITA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY LADY TIGERS  (6-3, 0-0 GSC)
MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2009 • 7:00 PM
BOLIVAR, MO • MEYER SPORTS CENTER
LIVE STATS: www.sidearmstats.com/sbuniv/wbball
LIVE VIDEO: through B2 networks (pay-per-view)
ALL GAMES: RADIO: KBFL 99.9 FM (Josh Thompson, play-by-play)
ALL GAMES: INTERNET AUDIO: www.radiospringfield.com/kbfl.aspx
  
SBU NOTES

BOLIVAR, Mo. -- The SBU Bearcats will have one final home game before the Christmas break -- Monday night's matchup with the Ouachita Baptist Lady Tigers will be the Bearcats' final non-conference game of the season. The Bearcats will look to break their slide and get back on the winning track. Senior guard/forward Rachel Graves leads the Bearcats in scoring with 13.4 points per game, which is tied for 10th in the MIAA. Graves is also second in treys made per game with 3.1, eighth in steals (1.8 per game), ninth in three-point percentage (.368), and leads in minutes played with 33.8 per game. Junior point guard Ashleigh Gallio is fifth in the MIAA in assists (4.1) and third in minutes played (32.1). Courtney Heady's 10.6 points ranks 19th in the conference, while her 2.9 threes per game is fourth. Heady also stands eighth in three-point field goal percentage (.397).

THE COACHES AND THE ALL-TIME SERIES
Bearcat head coach J.C. Carter leads SBU and is in his second season on the bench. Last year, he led SBU to an upset of nationally-ranked Emporia State at Emporia as well as a berth in the MIAA postseason tournament. As a college head coach, Carter now has a career mark of 9-27. Garry Crowder is head coach at Ouachita Baptist and is 226-169 (.572) in fourteen seasons with the Lady Tigers. Ouachita Baptist won last year's meeting 90-76 in Arkadelphia, the only meeting between the two schools.
  
SCOUTING THE LADY TIGERS
The Lady Tigers are led in scoring by Gabby Coleman with 17.8 points per game, which ranks second in the Gulf South Conference. Coleman is also among the GSC leaders in steals (2.25 - 5th tied) and threes made (2.0 - 7th tied). A'Laeshia Adams is second in on the team in scoring with 13.1 points per game. Tamara Robinson is third on the Lady Tigers with 10 points per night and leads the team with 5.8 rebounds per game. Angela Colliver ranks ninth in the GSC in blocks (0.75 per game) and is second on OBU with 5.1 rebounds.

NEXT UP FOR THE SBU BEARCATS
Following the Christmas holiday, the Bearcats will have busy three game week. On Monday, December 28, the SBU women will visit Missouri Southern in Joplin. Then it's MIAA women's and men's doubleheaders the rest of the season as the SBU teams will visit Kirksville on Wednesday, December 30 with the women's game starting at 5:30 p.m. Then it's a home contest on Saturday, January 2, with the Emporia State Hornets visiting Bolivar for a 5:30 p.m. contest.
  
Next week's games include three of the MIAA's top scorers with Cassondra Boston of ESU (17.9, 1st), Jasmine Lovejoy of MSSU (16.1, 4th) and TSU's Laura Joya (15.6, 5th). Amy Galey of Truman is the current MIAA leader in assists (5.0 per game) while Emporia teammates Alli Volkens and Negesti Taylor rank second and third in rebounds per game with 7.4. Emporia State is the top scoring team in the MIAA (80.8 while Truman is the top free throw shooting team (77.6%).

SIXTH MAN CLUB MEMBERS
The SBU Sixth Man Club will not have Thursday luncheons until January 7th. The next Sixth Man pregame meal will be Saturday, January 2nd, prior to the evening games with Emporia State. For more information on the Sixth Man Club, please call 328-1787.