DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern is slated to begin a two-week road stretch at Harding and Arkansas Tech on Thursday and Saturday. The Storm meets the Bisons first in the Rhodes-Reaves Field house on Thursday, Jan. 15, at 7:30 p.m. before taking on the Wonder Boys on Saturday at 3 p.m. in Tucker Coliseum.
SERIES NOTES
- Southeastern and Harding are set to face each other for the 30th time on Thursday, and the blue and gold hold a 16-13 edge in the all-time series. The Bisons won the latest matchup, but the Storm is 7-3 in the last ten meetings between the two sides. Under head coach Kelly Green, SE is 15-9 when facing Harding in GAC play.
- The Storm and Wonder Boys have battled 42 times heading into Saturday's clash, as ATU leads the series 23-19. Recently, this has become a back-and-forth series, with the two sides tied 3-3 in the last six meetings after SE's 68-49 win in Russellville. ATU is one of two teams from the Natural State with a winning record against coach Green, at 14-13.
STORM REPORT
Southeastern went 1-1 last week, grabbing a 96-87 win over Southern Arkansas before falling in a back-and-forth contest to Arkansas-Monticello 71-66. Following the results, SE holds a 3-5 GAC record and 4-10 overall mark, closing in on the halfway point.
The SE scoring is led by a one-two punch from
Chandler Dickinson and
Ethan Wilkerson, who are averaging 13.9 points per game. The pair combined for 85 points across the two games last week, with both reaching 20 points against Southern Arkansas, including a career-high 29 from Dickinson. This season, Dickinson is converting 47.3 percent from the floor and shooting 30.9 percent from the three-point line, while Wilkerson is knocking down shots at a 54.5 percent clip from the floor. Additionally, in conference games, Dickinson and Wilkerson rank third and fourth in scoring across the GAC with 17.5 and 17.0 points per game.
In addition to his scoring outputs, Wilkerson leads the team in rebounding with 6.3 rebounds per game. Helping provide a strong presence at the glass with Wilkerson is
Deondre Dunn, who averages 4.5 rebounds per game and has recorded 26 rebounds over the last four games. As a team, the Storm rank ninth in the league in rebounding, averaging 32.9 per game after combining for 61 rebounds last week, but hold a -2.1 rebound margin with opponents seeing 35.0 per game.
Jamal Drewery has quickly found his place in the starting lineup as a freshman with eight starts this season. The Hillcrest Prep product has dished out the second-most assists (69) this season in the GAC and is third with 4.9 assists per game. Drewery also has an eye for the basket, scoring 11 points in each game against SAU and UAM, and is averaging 5.5 points per game.
SCOUTING HARDING
The Bisons enter Thursday 10-4 overall and 6-2 in GAC play after a 73-67 defeat to Oklahoma Baptist in their last outing. Harding's two GAC losses this season have both come on the road at Ouachita Baptist, 66-55, and most recently to OKBU. The Bison would pick up a big win last week, upsetting then-no. 7 Southern Nazarene on the road 74-67 to hand the Crimson Storm their second loss this season.
Harding features one of the best scoring defenses in the conference, as they rank second in the league with 61.9 points allowed per game. The Bisons also pace the GAC in rebounding with 40.4 boards per game, and are led by Wesley Booker with a conference-best 8.8 rebounds per contest. On the offensive side, Keyln McBride makes the offense tick with 5.2 assists per game and paces the team in scoring with 12.7 points.
SCOUTING ARKANSAS TECH
Arkansas Tech is off to a slow start in conference play, sitting 2-6 in the standings and 4-10 overall. The Wonder Boys have lost their last six games, including a 62-39 defeat to SNU. ATU's two wins in league action came during the first week of action with victories over Northwestern Oklahoma State and Southwestern Oklahoma State on the road.
The Wonder Boys have a pair of players averaging double-digit points, led by David Elliott IV with 13.1 points per game. Elliot IV had 23 points last week, including 18 against Oklahoma Baptist during a game in which he shot 5-11 from the field. ATU will test the Storm's three-point shooting abilities on Saturday, as the Wonder Boys have the second-best three-point percentage defense in the GAC, holding opponents to a 28.2 percent clip from beyond the arc.
