3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 9
Abe Lemons Arena
THE MATCHUP: Oklahoma City University returns home for a Sooner Athletic Conference game against John Brown (Ark.).
Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for children. OCU students and faculty are admitted free into all Stars events with their ID.
ABOUT THE STARS: OCU was stout on the defensive end in an 85-63 rout of Rogers State on Thursday in Claremore, Okla. The Stars (10-3, 5-1 SAC) forced 31 turnovers in the game, including 16 steals. OCU used a pair of runs in the game to put RSU away, including a first-half 14-4 run and a 14-6 run early in the second.
Donica Cosby, a 5-8 junior from Coldwater, Miss., led the Stars with 29 points on 10-of-11 shooting from the field to go with five steals. Cosby averages 15.7 points and 4.0 assists per game.
Starr Fairbanks, a 6-2 junior from Cincinnati, turned in one of her best performances this season with 21 points and six rebounds in just 22 minutes. Fairbanks chips in 10.9 points and 3.5 rebounds a game.
OCU, ranked seventh nationally, 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 owns a 27-4 record against John Brown over the years. The Stars defeated John Brown 61-51 on Feb. 19 at Abe Lemons Arena. Holly Hardin led the Stars with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
ABOUT THE LADY EAGLES: John Brown dismantled Mid-America Christian 75-45 on Thursday night in Siloam Springs, Ark. John Brown moved to 7-8, 3-4 in the SAC.
JBU was led by Jessica Berlin with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Berlin, a 5-9 freshman, averages 11.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game on the season. Ashley Taylor, a 5-10 junior, leads John Brown in scoring at 11.3 points per outing.
JBU was picked to finish eighth by conference coaches in the SAC preseason poll.
ABOUT THE COACHES: Rob Edmisson has posted a stellar 128-25 record in his fifth season at OCU and a 430-144 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.
Jeff Soderquist is in his 13th season as John Brown head coach. Soderquist is the winningest women's coach in school history with 176 victories. He has also guided JBU to two NAIA national tournament appearances.
QUOTABLE: "I think defensively our team is really growing up. We're making it hard on teams. We're forcing teams into a lot of turnovers, and that has to do with our defensive intensity.” – Edmisson following OCU's 85-63 victory over Rogers State
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 (405) 878-2110.
ON THE AIR: OCU offers live broadcasts of its basketball games via its athletic site. Greg Merick will perform the play-by-play, Andrew Himes will provide analysis. To see the game on live video click here, to listen to the live audio, click here and to follow the game on live stats, click here.
