6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23
Abe Lemons Arena
THE MATCHUP: Oklahoma City University hosts fourth-ranked Oklahoma Baptist in a matchup of the top two teams in the Sooner Athletic Conference and top 10-ranked teams in the NAIA.
Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 students and free to OCU students, faculty and staff with their ID.
OCU athletics and the Wesley Center on campus will hold a fundraiser for Nothing But Nets. Fans can donate $1 towards Nothing But Nets for a chance to win an Oklahoma City Thunder team ball among other prizes. Shirts will be on sale for $10 with all money going towards Nothing But Nets. There will be a celebrity free-throw shootout during halftime of the men's game.
ABOUT THE STARS: OCU blasted St. Gregory's 73-47 on Thursday in Shawnee, Okla., for its eighth straight victory. The Stars (14-3, 9-1 in Sooner Athletic Conference) went on a 31-6 run over the span of 10 minutes to spark the rout.
Holly Hardin, a 6-foot senior from Chickasha, Okla., tallied a game-high 18 points and nine rebounds. Hardin averages 11.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.31 blocks on the season. Starr Fairbanks, a 6-2 junior from Cincinnati, added 11 points and four steals. Fairbanks is averaging 12.3 points per game. Donica Cosby, a 5-8 junior from Coldwater, Miss., leads the team in scoring at 14.1 points, 4.1 assists and 1.87 steals per outing.
OCU is ranked ninth in NAIA Division I. OCU has been picked to finish second in the conference. The Stars are tied for the most wins of any women's basketball program in the nation over the past nine years.
OCU is 37-21 all-time against Oklahoma Baptist. The Stars dropped a 72-64 overtime contest to Oklahoma Baptist on Dec. 3 at Noble Complex. Cosby and Hardin each had 17 points to lead the Stars.
ABOUT THE LADY BISON: Oklahoma Baptist remained unbeaten in SAC play with a 64-49 victory over Mid-America Christian on Thursday in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma Baptist (17-1, 10-0 in SAC) went on a 7-0 run midway through the second half to extend its lead to double figures. Ashley Harrell scored with 1:24 left to give OBU its biggest lead of the night at 62-45.
Taujhnae Travis, a 5-7 senior, paced the Lady Bison with 17 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals. Travis averages 16.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. Gabriell Mattox, a 5-11 senior, ranks second on the team with 11.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
Oklahoma Baptist is ranked fourth in NAIA Division I women's basketball. SAC coaches picked Oklahoma Baptist to win the conference.
ABOUT THE COACHES: Rob Edmisson has posted a stellar 132-25 record in his fifth season at OCU and a 434-144 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.
John McCullough has posted a 231-92 record in his 10th season as Oklahoma Baptist coach, 266-161 overall as a head coach. McCullough has led Oklahoma Baptist to nine consecutive national-tournament appearances, including the NAIA semifinals last season.
QUOTABLE: “We may get beat again this year, but we will not lose. When you lose games, it's usually about effort and lack of intensity level. We will not lose any more games this year. We might get beat, but we are that point where our kids get it. Right now it's about keeping them healthy, keeping them excited and keeping them enthused.” – Edmisson
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 results and highlights by calling the SAC Hotline at (405) 878-2110.
ON THE AIR: OCU games will be broadcast regularly via the OCU athletics web site. Greg Merick will handle the play-by-play, and Andrew Himes will provide commentary. Click here to listen to the broadcast.
To watch the game live, click here, and to follow the game on live stats, click here.
