The Lady Golden Eagles need a win against Southern Nazarene University Crimson Storm tonight in the Bill George Arena at 6 p.m.
SNU is currently third in the Sooner Athletic Conference and 25th in NAIA Division I. JBU is 10th in conference. SNU is the only top-seeded team that JBU has not played against.
A win against SNU will help the Lady Eagles advance in conference and possibly move into the eight seed, allowing them to advance to the SAC tournament.
This is the Eagles’ first time facing the Crimson Storm this season. SNU had a season record of 16-6, 10-4 in conference.
SNU is an experienced team with almost their entire starting line-up consisting of seniors. One of their key players is senior guard Logan Martin, who leads her team in scoring, assists and steals.
Jeff Soderquist, the head women’s basketball coach, said it is essential for the Lady Eagles attack offensively and take the ball inside to score.
Soderquist said SNU is a very good shooting team as well, though they stronger in their defense, especially their rebounding.
SNU lost their last game to Lubbock Christian last Saturday with a final score of 59-53. LCU is the top seed in the SAC and is ranked 11th.
JBU won their last game as well against Oklahoma Baptist, the fifth seed in the SAC, with a final score of 65-52.
The Lady Eagles led the entire game, though at one time OBU managed to cut the lead to a one-point difference before JBU gained momentum and took back the game.
Sophomore guard Jessica Berlin is currently JBU’s leading scorer with 11.55 points per game, followed by fellow sophomore guard Sierra Shipley with 11.40.
The Lady Eagle’s offense has been inconsistent most of the season, though.
Soderquist said he is glad that the team was able to win with a final score in the sixties without relying on three-pointers, which has been the case most of the season.
On Saturday the Lady Eagles will take on the University of Science and Arts of Okla.
USAO is a young team of mostly freshmen. They are currently at the bottom of the SAC and lost their last game against Wayland Baptist with a final score of 73-40.
“They are a good basketball team even though they haven’t done well in conference,” said Soderquist.
USAO’s sophomore guard Paige Pullman is their top scorer with 14.47 points per game. Junior forward Tashina Ototivo is the team’s leading rebounder with 6.86 rebounds per game.