AUSTIN, Texas – Defending national champion Oklahoma City University has scheduled a women's basketball exhibition against Texas at 3 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Erwin Center.
OCU took its eighth NAIA Division I championship 73-66 over Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) on March 21 in Billings, Mont. Texas advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16.
The Stars (34-2) captured their fourth national title in six years. Oklahoma City has nine national championships won in 1988, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2017. OCU reeled in its 17th Sooner Athletic Conference regular-season title and 11th SAC Tournament crown.
Daniela Galindo returns for OCU. Galindo, a rising senior from Shattuck, Okla., picked up honorable-mention NAIA Division I and WBCA NAIA all-American honors, all-tournament in the NAIA Tournament, the SAC Tournament hustle award, SAC newcomer of the year and second-team all-conference in 2016-17. She produced 18.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.97 steals a contest while leading the NAIA in 3-point shooting (47.9 percent) and free-throw shooting (91.0 percent).
In 2016-17, Texas went 25-9 with its third consecutive NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance. The Longhorns bring back their all-American backcourt of Ariel Atkins and Brooke McCarty. McCarty became the Big 12 player of the year while posting 14.1 points a game and a conference-best 43 percent 3-point shooting clip. The only time the two schools have met in women's basketball came in an exhibition Nov. 9, 2014 in Austin, Texas.
Oklahoma City begins the regular season Nov. 1 at Langston. The Stars' home opener will be 8 p.m. Nov. 17 vs. Langston in the Oklahoma City Classic, while OCU starts league play 3 p.m. Dec. 2 at Mid-America Christian inside the Gaulke Activity Center in Oklahoma City.
The Stars' schedule for the upcoming season includes eight games vs. six teams that made the 2017 NAIA Division I Tournament. OCU plays Benedictine (Kan.) on Nov. 21, John Brown (Ark.) on Dec. 9 and Jan. 27, Loyola (La.) on Nov. 18, LSU-Shreveport on Nov. 10, Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) on Nov. 25 and Wayland Baptist (Texas) on Jan. 18 and Feb. 10.
