Oklahoma City University
vs. Oklahoma Baptist
in SAC Tournament

6 p.m. Thursday, March 1
Eagles Nest at Oklahoma Christian

THE MATCHUP: Oklahoma City University, the fourth seed, takes on fifth-seeded Oklahoma Baptist in the first round of the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament. The Stars look to defend their conference tournament crown.

ABOUT THE STARS: OCU beat Northwestern 69-56 Saturday in Alva, Okla. The Stars finished the regular season 24-6, 12-6 in the Sooner Athletic Conference.
Viola Beybeyah, a 5-foot-10 junior from Oklahoma City, equaled her season high with 20 points. She sank 9 of 12 shots from the floor and added six rebounds. Zanita Johnson, a 5-7 junior from Tulsa, Okla., also had 16 points and five rebounds.
Alexandra Kotta, a 5-11 senior from Germantown, Md., leads the Stars with 13.5 points and 2.83 steals per game. Kotta ranks 16th in the NAIA and tops in the SAC in steals.
Kotta and Chelsea Ledbetter were second-team all-conference, while Beybeyah was third team and shared conference newcomer of the year.
The Stars are ranked 19th in NAIA Division I. OCU is fourth in the nation in points allowed at 55.2 points per game.
OCU has a 32-17 advantage in the overall series against Oklahoma Baptist. Oklahoma Baptist won 67-65 on Feb. 15 in Shawnee, Okla. Nikki Wilson had 15 points to lead the Stars.

ABOUT THE LADY BISON: Oklahoma Baptist defeated USAO 65-55 Saturday in Shawnee, Okla. No. 23-ranked Oklahoma Baptist moved to 17-11, 11-7.
Dilenny Castillo, a 5-10 senior, and Rachel Heins, a 5-10 senior, each had 18 points to lead OBU. Oklahoma Baptist hit 23 of 28 free throws.
Jennifer Jupin, a 5-9 sophomore, paces Oklahoma Baptist with 11.9 points a contest. Castillo leads Oklahoma Baptist with 6.8 rebounds and 1.46 steals a game. Oklahoma Baptist leads the NAIA in defensive rebounds per game (29.4) and defensive field-goal percentage (34 percent).

ABOUT THE COACHES: Rob Edmisson has a 356-128 record in his 16th season as a head coach. Edmisson took the Stars to the NAIA quarterfinals and a 32-3 record his first season at OCU. Edmisson coached the only player drafted into the WNBA at OCU, Mariam Sy. He won 192 games at Hutchinson (Kan.) and 110 as a high-school coach in Kansas.
John McCullough has a 136-75 record in seven seasons at Oklahoma Baptist and a 171-144 record overall, including three seasons coaching men at New Mexico Highlands. He was the 1979 Big Eight most valuable player at Oklahoma.

THE TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE: Thursday quarterfinals: (1) Lubbock Christian vs. (8) Northwestern Oklahoma State, 2 p.m.; (2) Southern Nazarene vs. (7) John Brown, 4 p.m.; (4) Oklahoma City vs. (5) Oklahoma Baptist, 6 p.m.; (3) Oklahoma Christian vs. (6) USAO, 8 p.m. Saturday semifinals: LCU/NWOSU winner vs. OCU/OBU winner, 1 p.m.; SNU/JBU winner vs. OC/USAO winner, 3 p.m.; Monday championship, 7:30 p.m.

GIVE THE HOTLINE A CALL: Fans can follow the Stars via the OCU Athletic Hotline at (405) 208-5400. Get the score and highlights after the game on the hotline. Get Sooner Athletic Conference scores on the SAC Hotline at (405) 878-2110.

ON THE AIR: You can hear OCU basketball via live audio on the athletics web site, okcu.edu/athletics. Click on the Listen to the Game Live button. Play-by-play will be Greg Merick, while the commentator will be Rich Tortorelli. The broadcast starts approximately 5:50 p.m.