SWOSU Lady Buldogs to play in D-II Tipoff Classic

SWOSU Athletics
Doug Self

WEATHERFORD, Okla. – SWOSU Women’s Basketball will participate in one of the premiere NCAA Division II events to open the 2021-22 season as they head to Canyon, Texas, to compete at the D2CCA Tip-Off Classic hosted by West Texas A&M.

The Lady Bulldogs will be challenged by a trio of Division II powerhouse programs, each of which has played for a National Championship since 2014. SWOSU will open up against Drury on Friday, October 29, before meeting Central Missouri on October 30 and closing out against tournament-host West Texas A&M on Halloween.

“We are excited for the opportunity to be invited to the Tip-Off Classic and have the opportunity to play against some of the best teams in NCAA Division II,” Musick said. “With these games, we will be able to learn and grow which will hopefully help us on our climb to the top!”

SWOSU will open the season against Drury in just the second all-time meeting between the programs, with the Panthers holding a 1-0 advantage after claiming an 80-67 victory in Springfield early in the 2002-03 season. The matchup will also be a meeting of the last two programs to finish as NCAA Division II’s National Runner-Up, with Drury currently holding that claim after falling to Lubbock Christian 69-59 in the 2021 championship game. The Panthers are 91-3 over the past three seasons and they’ve been to back-to-back Elite Eights. They were also undefeated at 32-0 heading into the 2020 NCAA Tournament, which was cancelled due to COVID-19.

On the second day of the event, SWOSU will be 2018 NCAA Division II National Champion Central Missouri in a matchup of two programs who have combined to win the last three Central Region Championships. The Lady Bulldogs are 2-0 against UCM all-time, with both victories coming in the Central Regional, including a 75-72 win in the 2019 regional semifinals on their run to the championship game. The two teams were supposed to play in the 2020 regional quarterfinals before that tournament was cancelled due to COVID-19. This past season, UCM won the Central Region crown and advanced to the national semifinals, where they lost 63-61 to eventual national champion Lubbock Christian.

The Lady Bulldogs will close out the event against West Texas A&M, a former Lone Star Conference foe who they will be meeting for the first time since the 2012-13 season. As an NCAA Division II school, SWOSU is just 3-14 against the Lady Buffs, but the Lady Dawgs have won two of the past three meetings. WT has qualified for the NCAA Tournament in seven of the past eight seasons, with three Elite Eight appearances and a national runner-up finish in 2014 to their credit.

SWOSU Women’s Basketball has qualified for four consecutive NCAA Division II National Tournaments and won at least a share of the Great American Conference crown in each of the past four seasons. The Lady Bulldogs return all five starters from this past season, in which they finished 18-4 and advanced to the South Central Regional Championship game, where they fell 78-65 to eventual National Champion Lubbock Christian.

Musick said the rest of the 2021-22 SWOSU Women’s Basketball schedule will be announced soon.

2021 D2CCA Tipoff Classic Schedule

Friday, October 29, 11:00 am: SWOSU vs. Drury
Saturday, October 30, 11:00 am: SWOSU vs. Central Missouri
Sunday, October 31, 4:00 pm: SWOSU at West Texas A&M

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