Men's Basketball 12/14/2013 8:51:00 PM

Stars dispatch Southern Nazarene 74-60

OCU finishes non-league play at 4-3

Terry Johnson supplied OCU with 25 points, five rebounds and four assists Saturday.

Box Score
BETHANY, Okla. – Oklahoma City University knocked off Southern Nazarene 74-60 on Saturday at the Sawyer Center.
Terry Johnson, a senior from Chicago, led the Stars with 25 points, all in the second half. OCU concluded its nonconference men's basketball slate with a 4-3 record.
The Stars won after a two-week gap between games. OCU had its Sooner Athletic Conference opener delayed during last week's wintry weather.
"I thought it was a good opportunity for us," OCU coach Dionne Phelps said. "We hadn't played in a while. I'm proud of our guys. Southern Nazarene is a very good team. I'm excited. I'm excited with the way we came out. It shows a lot of maturity."
Johnson missed his first three shots from the field, but hit all eight of his second-period tries while finishing with five rebounds and four assists.
"One of the things we talk to Terry about with him being our leading scorer, teams aren't going to let him walk out and see balls go into the basket early," Phelps said. "He has to able to keep his composure, let time go, let the defense break down a bit and he'll get opportunities. He waited until the second half, and he kept his composure. He did exactly what we need a senior to do – be able to get the ball moving and find other guys. He had four assists. He had five rebounds, too, so he's helping us other ways. I'm proud of the way he's come along."
Kaleb Smith, a senior from Choctaw, Okla., posted 16 points, nine rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals for the Stars. Terence Bonhomme, a freshman from St. Martinville, La., helped OCU to a 19-12 advantage in bench points with nine points and four rebounds off the pine.
The Stars held Southern Nazarene to 33.3 percent shooting from the floor. Southern managed 25 percent shooting in the first, hitting 8 of 32 field-goal attempts in the period.
OCU seized the lead for good with a 12-0 run late in the first half. C.J. Smith tied the game 15-15 with a 3-pointer for Southern Nazarene.
Smith provided the Stars with six points during their surge. Terrence Walker had a 3-point play, while Bonhomme capped OCU's run with a trey. The Stars built a 27-15 advantage with 3:51 to go in the first.
The Stars tore off an 8-0 run to generate their largest lead of the game at 74-58 with 1:25 remaining. OCU teamed to nail 5 of 6 free throws during that span. Johnson ignited the splurge with a 3-point play and added a pair of free throws.
OCU opens SAC play against league newcomer Southwestern Christian at 8 p.m. Tuesday in Bethany, Okla.

Print Friendly Version