Game Notes

Date: January 4, 2022
Time: 5:30 PM
Location: Bolivar, Mo.

Bolivar, Mo. - Southwest Baptist resumes conference action Tuesday evening after a month of non-conference play. Tuesday's matchup will feature #2 ranked and Highway 13 rival, Drury

SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
In their first year as full-time members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference, the SBU Women's Basketball team finished 15-13 (9-11 GLVC) on the year. The GLVC allows just 8 teams to make the conference tournament. Finishing 10th out of 16 teams in the GLVC, the Bearcats narrowly missed the conference tournament for the second straight year.

The 2020-21 season was a shortened, conference opponent only season due to COVID-19. In that shortened season, SBU finished with a 5-14 record. Their strongest portion of the season came in January, as the team won 4 contests, 3 of those in a row. Arguably their best win came on the road against Maryville, defeating the Saints 100-97 in double overtime. Returning for an extra year of eligibility is All-GLVC selection, Kyleigh Vaught. She started 18 games last year, leading the team with 564 minutes played, scoring 261 points which averages to 14.5 per game (20th in GLVC). From the free throw line, Vaught shot 66-75 (88.0%) which led the conference. Vaught also led the team in three's made (27), assists (41), and steals (26). Eight other Bearcats return from the 2020-21 roster, including Brylee Graddy, Rachel Tippens, Nyah Pettus, Mary Rose Foster, Gabriella Capasso, Natalie Basham, Bella Irlenborn, and Alyssa Williams.

The Bearcats continue their impressive streak, winning 5 out of their last 6 and looking for their fifth straight win. In their three conference contests, SBU handled William Jewell with ease, fell to Rockhurst on the road, and beat Missouri S&T by 18 points. Since that stretch, the team has defeated three non-conference teams in Baptist Bible College, Missouri Baptist University, and Hannibal-LaGrange by 30+ points each. Kyleigh Vaught continues to lead the team in scoring, totaling 128 points (11.6 ppg) this year. In addition, she has 36 assists, 35 rebounds, and 14 steals. Mary Rose Foster and Nyah Pettus have both been very solid at the forward spots, crossing the century mark last contest. Pettus leads the team with 68 rebounds and 9 blocks, shooting 57.5% from the field. Foster is also shooting 57.5% with 49 rebounds, 18 assists, 12 steals, and 4 blocks. From beyond the arc, Emma Perry has made 26 three's.

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
The Drury Panthers come into Tuesday's competition with a 13-1 (3-0 GLVC) record, ranked #2 in all of NCAA Division II. They started the year strong, taking down #16 SWOSU and #6 Central Missouri, but suffered their first loss to Kentucky Wesleayn 76-75. SBU also played KWC in that tournament, trailing but just one point heading into the final frame. Since that loss, Drury has won 9-straight including 3 GLVC contests and two top-25 teams. Drury beat Missouri S&T 90-74, Rockhurst 73-44, and William Jewell 90-42, outscoring them by a total of 253-160. Leading the Panthers is Paige Robinson, a 5'10" senior guard. She has 269 points so far, averaging 22.4 ppg. Down low, Alana Findley has 194 points on 53.2% shooting along with 116 rebounds (8.3 rpg), 32 steals, and 9 blocks.

THE COACHES
SBU head coach Kelsey Keizer begins her eighth season on the SBU bench after compiling a 86-104 (49-88 conf.) record while at SBU. Coach Keizer led the Bearcats to back-to-back-to-back winning seasons (2015-16, 2016-17, and 2017-18) for the first time since the 2000-01, 2001-02, and 2002-03 seasons. Since joining the GLVC in 2019, Keizer has had three AllGLVC selections.

Amy Eagan took over the Panther squad in 2020-21, but served as an assistant with the team in 2019-20 when they finished 32-0 and won the national championship. Last year, Eagan led the team to their fifth-straight GLVC championship, and fininished runner-up in the NCAA DII finals at 24-2. Prior to Drury, Eagan spent six seasons as the head coach at Truman State.

ALL-TIME SERIES
SBU trails the all-time series 2-12. Only one contest was played last season due to COVID-19 protocol. SBU fell by just 9 points in 2018-19 and beat Drury by 11 points in 2017-18.