6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5
Rip Griffin Center in Lubbock, Texas
THE MATCHUP: Oklahoma City University takes to the road to face Lubbock Christian (Texas) for a matchup between top 10-ranked teams in the NAIA.
ABOUT THE STARS: OCU overcame a 17-point deficit to defeat Southern Nazarene 66-62 at the Sawyer Center in Bethany, Okla., on Saturday, improving to 19-2, 11-2 in the Sooner Athletic Conference. Chontaye Walter led the Stars with 14 points, 12 of which came from behind the 3-point line. Walter also had seven rebounds and four assists.
Walter, a 5-foot-8 junior from Oklahoma City, is currently ranked first in NAIA Division I in 3-point field-goal percentage, hitting 53.8 percent on treys. She averages 10.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.62 steals a game.
Chelsea Ledbetter, a 5-8 senior from Norman, Okla., added 13 points and nine rebounds. Ledbetter ranks 10th in the NAIA in assists, averaging 5.0 per game.
Holly Hardin grabbed 10 rebounds for the Stars as well as five of the team's nine steals. Hardin paces the Stars with 13.1 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. Hardin, 6-foot junior from Chickasha, Okla., is currently ranked sixth in the NAIA in double-doubles with 11 on the season, sixth in defensive rebounds at 6.6 a game and seventh in field-goal percentage, shooting 57.3 percent.
The Stars are leading the NAIA in assists, averaging 22.1 per game. OCU is ranked second in field-goal percentage shooting 48.7 percent, total rebounds averaging 46.4 per game and in rebound margin, averaging 16.4 more rebounds than opponents.
The Stars are currently ranked seventh in the NAIA Division I and were picked to finish second in the SAC.
OCU leads the series against Lubbock Christian 29-5. The Stars fell to Lubbock Christian 69-65 on Jan. 5 at Abe Lemons Arena.
ABOUT THE LADY CHAPARRALS: Lubbock Christian defeated Rogers State 78-54 on Saturday at the Rip Griffin Center in Lubbock, Texas, improving to 18-3, 11-2 in the SAC. Shamika Singleton led Lubbock Christian with 18 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots. Ashley Coggins added 11 points and two steals.
Jordan Hampton leads Lubbock Christian with 12.8 points and 5.3 rebounds a game. Hampton, a 5-10 senior, ranks third nationally with a 90.5 percent free-throw percentage. Lubbock Christian is fifth nationally with a 46.5 percent field-goal percentage.
The Lady Chaps are currently ranked 10th in the NAIA and were picked to finish third in the conference preseason poll.
ABOUT THE COACHES: Rob Edmisson, who picked up his 400th career win on Dec. 11, has a record of 106-18 in his fourth season with OCU. Edmisson, the 2008 SAC coach of the year, led the Stars to SAC regular-season championships two of the three seasons he's been at the OCU helm. 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.
Steve Gomez became Lubbock Christian's all-time leader in women's basketball wins this season. Gomez has a 124-60 record in his sixth season with Lubbock Christian, leading the Lady Chaps to the 2006 NAIA title game.
OCU ATHLETICS PODCENTER NOW AVAILABLE: If you want to listen to past game broadcasts and pregame and postgame interviews with Coach Edmisson, go to the OCU athletics podcenter. Go here, then iTunes will open. Then click on athletics and women's basketball.
QUOTABLE: “It's February and the kids are a little tired, but this is the time when teams find their second wind. It's what separates teams.” – Edmisson on this time in the season
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. Call the SAC Hotline at (405) 878-2110 for conference results.
ON THE AIR: The game will be broadcast via live audio on the Lubbock Christian web site. Go here to listen. Click here for OCU's Dak Stats page, then click on the W next to the LCU-OCU game to view the live stats.
