NAIA Division I Tournament
8:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 18
Oman Arena in Jackson, Tenn.
THE MATCHUP: Oklahoma City University begins pursuit of its sixth national championship against Bethel (Tenn.) in the opening round of the 29th NAIA Division I women's basketball national tournament.
OCU won national championships in 1988, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 and advanced to the finals in 2003, 2004 and 2005. OCU has qualified for 15 NAIA Tournaments, 12 in a row.
ABOUT THE STARS: OCU captured the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament women's basketball championship for the second year in a row with a 55-42 victory over Oklahoma Baptist on March 7 at the Rip Griffin Center. The Stars, currently ranked 12th in the NAIA Division I, improved to 28-5 on the season. OCU has a third seed in the tournament.
Chelsea Ledbetter, a 5-foot-8 senior from Norman, Okla., was named the tournament most valuable player. Ledbetter led the Stars with 14 points and three assists to go with seven rebounds. Ledbetter averages 9.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.55 steals per game, ranking 13th in the NAIA in assists.
Chontaye Walter added 13 points, four rebounds and three steals, while Holly Hardin chipped in 12 points, nine rebounds and seven blocked shots. Walter, a 5-8 junior from Oklahoma City, averages 9.8 points per game and leads the NAIA in 3-point field goal percentage, shooting 46 percent from the arc. Hardin, a 6-foot junior from Chickasha, Okla., paces the Stars with 12.4 points, 9.4 boards, 2.10 steals and 1.60 blocks a game. Hardin ranks eighth in double-doubles (14) and 11th in rebounding in the NAIA.
The Stars rank second in assists with 19.5 a game, rebounding (44.9) and rebounding margin (13.7 a game). OCU ranks sixth in scoring at 78.7 points per game and third in scoring margin at 24.3 more points than opponents.
OCU has never faced Bethel before.
ABOUT THE LADY WILDCATS: Bethel enters the NAIA Division I Tournament 19-12 on the season, losing 95-65 in the TranSouth Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals to Union (Tenn.) on March 6. Nina Djokovic had 25 points and 11 rebounds to lead Bethel, currently ranked 23rd in the NAIA and seeded sixth in the tournament bracket.
Djokovic, a 6-1 junior, leads Bethel with 12.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Tristan Johnson adds 11.4 points per game. Anna Trull, a 5-8 sophomore, averages 11.2 points per game, while Teena Carter, a 6-foot sophomore, averages 10.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.
The Lady Wildcats' offense ranks ninth in the NAIA, scoring an average of 77.5 points per game. Bethel is also ranked sixth in total rebounds, averaging 42.8 boards per game.
ABOUT THE COACHES: Rob Edmisson has a record of 115-21 in his fourth season guiding OCU, picking up his 400th career win on Dec. 11. Edmisson, the 2008 SAC coach of the year, led the Stars to SAC regular-season and tournament championships two of the past three seasons. 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.
Chris Nelson is in his third season as the head coach at Bethel. Nelson has a head-coaching record of 49-41. In 2007-08, Bethel's first in NAIA Division I, Nelson led the Lady Wildcats to a 14-16 finish, 9-9 in the TranSouth Athletic Conference.
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.
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.
ON THE AIR: The NAIA will offer a live video stream of every game of the tournament. To view the games, click here, or for live stats, click here.
