Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals
4 p.m. Friday, March 5
Rip Griffin Center in Lubbock, Texas
THE MATCHUP: Oklahoma City University faces Lubbock Christian (Texas) in the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals in a matchup of top-15 ranked teams.
OCU won SAC Tournament crowns in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2008. OCU has made the tournament title game nine years in a row.
ABOUT THE STARS: OCU defeated Rogers State 72-54 in the SAC Tournament quarterfinals on Wednesday at the Rip Griffin Center. The Stars, currently ranked 13th in the NAIA Division I, improved to 26-5 on the season. OCU is the third seed in the tournament.
Breezy Martin, a 5-11 junior from Oklahoma City, led the Stars with a career-high 27 points to go with seven rebounds and two assists. Martin went 10-for-12 from the field and 7-for-8 from the free-throw line. Martin averages 10.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
Chontaye Walter, a 5-8 junior from Oklahoma City, recorded 18 points, four rebounds and four assists. Walter went 3-for-5 from behind the arc and 5-for-6 from the free-throw line. Walter averages 9.7 points and leads the NAIA in 3-point field-goal percentage, shooting 47.7 percent.
Laura Duncan, a 5-8 junior from Edmond, Okla., chipped in nine points along with nine rebounds and four assists in the matchup. Duncan averages 12.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.77 steals.
Holly Hardin, a 6-foot junior from Chickasha, Okla., averages 12.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.11 steals and 1.43 blocks, ranking 11th in rebounding and 13th with 13 double-doubles on the season. Hardin is the SAC newcomer of the year. Chelsea Ledbetter averages 9.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.52 steals. Ledbetter, a three-time all-SAC selection, surpassed 1,000 career points on Jan. 31 at Southern Nazarene.
The Stars lead the NAIA in rebounding margin, posting an average of 14.2 more boards than opponents. OCU is second in assists at 20.1 per game and rebounding at 45.1 per game. The Stars rank fourth in scoring, averaging 80 points per game.
OCU leads the series against Lubbock Christian 29-6. The Stars fell to Lubbock Christian 85-76 on Feb. 5 at the Rip Griffin Center.
ABOUT THE LADY CHAPARRALS: Lubbock Christian advanced to the SAC Tournament semifinals with an 83-72 win over USAO on Wednesday at the Rip Griffin Center. The Lady Chaparrals, ranked 10th in the NAIA, improved to 26-5 on the season. Lubbock Christian in the second seed in the tournament.
Lubbock Christian had five double-digit scorers against USAO – Severyn Smith led with 17 points, while Jordan Hampton and Sierra Lovorn added 16 points each.
Hampton, a 5-10 senior, paces the Lady Chaparrals, averaging 13.3 points and 5.8 boards per game. Hampton also ranks first in the NAIA in free-throw percentage, shooting 88.7 percent from the line. Lovorn averages 10.4 points per game and has handed out 4.5 assists per game.
ABOUT THE COACHES: Rob Edmisson has a record of 113-21 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.
Steve Gomez became Lubbock Christian's all-time leader in women's basketball wins this season. Gomez is in his sixth season with Lubbock Christian, leading the Lady Chaps to the 2006 NAIA title game. Gomez' head-coaching record is 132-62.
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. Call the SAC Hotline at (405) 878-2110 for conference results.
ON THE AIR: Lubbock Christian will provide a broadcast and live stats. To listen to the broadcast, click here, and to view the stats, click here.
