7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18
vs. Azusa Pacific (Calif.)
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19
at Hope International (Calif.)
Darling Pavilion in Fullerton, Calif.
THE MATCHUP: Oklahoma City University faces non-conference road tests against Golden State Athletic Conference members Azusa Pacific (Calif.) and Hope International (Calif.).
ABOUT THE STARS: OCU thumped Mid-America Christian 96-58 on Saturday, Dec. 12 in Oklahoma City. The Stars (6-2, 2-1 Sooner Athletic Conference) took advantage of 32 Mid-America turnovers to pick up the road win.
Laura Duncan, a 5-foot-8 senior from Edmond, Okla., scored a season-high 17 points, knocking in 7 of 8 shots from the floor. Duncan had reached double figures in scoring only once in the Stars' first seven games. Brett Bates, a 5-6 sophomore from Hobart, Okla., also scored a season-high 17 points. Bates hit all five of her shots from the floor, all three 3-pointers and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line.
Donica Cosby, a 5-8 junior from Coldwater, Miss., added 13 points. She tops OCU with 15.4 points, 4.4 assists and 1.57 steals a game. Holly Hardin, a 6-foot senior from Chickasha, Okla., chipped in 13 points, nine rebounds and three steals. Hardin records a team-high 7.3 rebounds and 1.38 blocked shots a contest.
The Stars is ranked seventh in the latest NAIA Division I rankings. OCU has been picked to finish second in the conference. The Stars entered this season tied for the most wins of any women's basketball program in the nation over the past nine years.
OCU has posted a 4-2 all-time record against Azusa Pacific. The Stars eliminated Azusa from the 2006 NAIA Division I Tournament by beating the Cougars 92-84 on March 17, 2006 in Jackson, Tenn.
Hope International and OCU have never faced each other.
ABOUT THE COUGARS: Azusa Pacific bounced California Baptist 81-60 on Dec. 5 in Riverside, Calif., to move to 8-2, 2-0 in GSAC play. Alex Moore-Porter poured in a game-high 25 points, while Kristie Hala'ufia added 18 points.
Moore-Porter, a 5-10 junior, has tallied 22.5 points and 8.5 rebounds a game in four contests this season. Hala'ufia, a 6-2 junior, averages 13.3 points and 6.6 rebounds a game.
Azusa Pacific is currently ranked 10th nationally. GSAC coaches expect Azusa to finish third in the conference according to the preseason poll.
ABOUT THE ROYALS: Hope International whipped Caltech 83-42 on Monday in Fullerton, Calif. Hope International (3-5) owned a 49-32 edge rebounding and took advantage of 33 Caltech turnovers.
Sara Lycans-Roy, a 6-1 senior, scored a team-high 17 points, hitting 7 of 9 shots from the field, and grabbed eight rebounds. Lycans-Roy averages 10.1 rebounds and 1.50 blocks a game. Lindsay Salazar, a 5-8 sophomore, records team highs in scoring (12.5 points a game), assists (3.3) and steals (2.38).
Hope International was tabbed for last in the 11-team GSAC in the preseason.
ABOUT THE COACHES: Rob Edmisson has posted a stellar 124-24 record in his fifth season at OCU and a 426-143 record overall in his 20th season as a head coach. Edmisson has led the Stars to SAC regular-season championships twice and the SAC Tournament title three times. Edmisson coached the only player drafted into the WNBA from OCU, Mariam Sy. He won 192 games at Hutchinson (Kan.) and 110 as a high-school coach in Kansas.
T.J. Hardeman has led Azusa Pacific to a 55-21 record in his third season in charge. Azusa Pacific reached the round of 16 in the NAIA Tournament last year. Hardeman's head-coaching record of 93-79 includes a stint at Hope International.
Dave Ploog has gone 23-49 in his third season as Hope International coach. Hope International, featuring the NAIA's leading scorer in Jasmine Nault, reached the NCCAA national championship game in its first season under Ploog.
QUOTABLE: "We're just not consistent. It's frustrating thing for our coaches. When you look at our team, there's moments where there's brilliance, and you go, 'Wow this team has got it all,' and in the blink of an eye there's moments where you go, 'What are these people doing.' We're fighting through that right now."– Edmisson on the Stars' performance this season
FOLLOW THE STARS: Fans can keep up on the latest on OCU athletics through several ways.
Become a fan of the Oklahoma City University Stars on Facebook by going to www.facebook.com/ocustars.
Become a follower of the OCU Stars on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ocustars.
Check out video of the Stars in action at www.youtube.com/oklahomacityuniver.
Listen to past game broadcasts and pregame and postgame interviews on the OCU pod center by clicking here.
Know when the game is happening and get scores and highlights following by calling the OCU athletics hotline at (405) 208-5400. Get conference scores and highlights by calling the SAC Hotline at (405) 878-2110.
BUY SEASON TICKETS: To purchase OCU season tickets, click here.
ON THE AIR: A stat tracker will be available for both games. Click here for the stats from Friday's game, and go here for stats Saturday.
