OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University took a rematch with Oklahoma Baptist 88-60 on Thursday at Abe Lemons Arena in a top-25 NAIA matchup.

The Stars, ranked 10th in NAIA Division I men’s basketball, improved to 18-7, 13-4 in the Sooner Athletic Conference. No. 24 Oklahoma Baptist fell to 17-7, 9-7.

Willie Irick, a senior from Teaneck, N.J., led the Stars with 17 points and eight rebounds. Richard Jackson added 15 points, while Ollie Bailey and Na’Vonta Kentle each scored 12 points.

Oklahoma Baptist prevailed 76-73 over OCU on Jan. 12 in Shawnee, Okla., on Evan Grace’s half-court 3-pointer at the buzzer.

The Stars ensured the game would be decided before the final possession with an 20-2 run midway through the second half. OCU turned a 45-42 advantage into a 65-44 lead.

“We started to take care of the ball better,” OCU coach Ray Harper said. “Our turnovers would usually resulted in two points the other way. That’s how they were able to get back into the game.

“We had 22 turnovers. How much better could we play if we could cut those down?”

Grace’s layup cut Oklahoma Baptist’s deficit to 45-42 with 12:34 left in the game. Jackson started OCU’s 18-2 run by hitting a pair of free throws at 12:11 remaining.

Irick chipped in seven of the Stars’ points during that stretch, hitting the first of back-to-back OCU treys that punctuated the run. Ronald Taylor buried a 30-foot shot as the shot clock wound down with 8:25 left.

Kameron Gray’s lay-in finished the run with 7:42 left, putting OCU ahead 65-44.

OCU sank 60 percent of its second-half shots from the field, finishing at 59.6 percent. The Stars outscored Oklahoma Baptist 46-28 in the paint.

The Stars face St. Gregory’s at 8 p.m. Saturday in Shawnee, Okla.