8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 2
Abe Lemons Arena
THE MATCHUP: Oklahoma City University aims to rebound from its first loss of the season against Sooner Athletic Conference foe Wayland Baptist (Texas).
Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 students and free to OCU students, faculty and staff with their ID.
ABOUT THE STARS: OCU fell 77-74 to Avila (Mo.) on Monday in Kansas City, Mo. The Stars (7-1) led by much as 12 points, but Avila sank 54.2 percent of its shots in the second half to rally.
Nate Flowers, a 6-foot-5 senior from Waldorf, Md., notched his fifth double-double this season with 26 points and 11 rebounds. He shot 10-for-12 from the field. Flowers tops OCU with 14.3 points and 11.3 rebounds a game, ranking sixth in NAIA Division I in rebounding.
Brandon Moton, a 6-3 junior from Beaumont, Texas, added 13 points, hitting three 3-pointers. Moton averages 13.4 points and 3.0 assists a game. Johnny Stephene, a 6-1 junior from Boynton Beach, Fla., contributed 10 points and two assists. Stephene posts 13.4 points and 3.0 assists a game.
OCU leads the NAIA in rebounding margin (18.8 per game) and victory margin (34.4 points a game). To see where OCU stacks up statistically in the NAIA, click here.
The Stars received votes in the preseason national rankings. OCU has been picked to finish fifth in the SAC according to league coaches. Six-time national champion OCU has captured the SAC regular-season crown 13 times.
OCU holds a 33-10 advantage over Wayland Baptist in the overall series. Wayland Baptist nipped the Stars 73-69 on Feb. 25 in Plainview, Texas.
ABOUT THE PIONEERS: Wayland Baptist lost 63-58 to Lubbock Christian (Texas) on Monday in Plainview, Texas. Wayland Baptist (5-2, 0-2 SAC) built a 10-0 lead at the beginning of the game, but Lubbock Christian erased that deficit.
George Williams, a 6-5 junior, recorded game highs with 20 points and four steals. Williams downed three 3-pointers. Williams totals 16.9 points and 2.8 rebounds a game. Bobby Watkins, a 6-5 junior, had 12 points, five rebounds and two steals. Watkins averages 10.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.71 steals a game.
Wayland Baptist has been pegged to finish 10th in the 12-team SAC in the preseason.
ABOUT THE COACHES: Kevin Morrissey has posted a 39-27 record in his third season at OCU. Morrissey spent the previous four seasons as St. Gregory's coach. He also has been an assistant at Missouri State and Texas-Pan American. Morrissey played his college ball at Oklahoma Baptist and Oral Roberts and high school at Bishop McGuinness in Oklahoma City.
Robert Davenport has led Wayland Baptist to a 64-63 record in his fifth season in Plainview, Texas. Davenport has previously been head coach at Texas-Pan American, LeTourneau (Texas) and Missouri Baptist. His overall record stands at 106-142.
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. Be sure to catch the OCU Athletics Update video program weekly on ocusports.com, the OCU YouTube Channel or on OCU Athletics' Facebook page. Click here to see the latest edition or see our video channel in the upper right-hand corner of our home page.
Listen to past game broadcasts and pregame and postgame interviews on the OCU pod center by clicking here.
Know when the game is happening by calling the OCU athletics hotline at (405) 208-5400. Get conference scores and highlights by calling the SAC Hotline at (405) 878-2110.
ON THE AIR: The game will be broadcast via the OCU athletics web site. Greg Merick will call the game, while Andrew Himes will provide commentary. Click here to listen to the broadcast, here for the live stats and here to access the video stream.
To order the video on ocusports.com/showcase, click on "Women's Basketball vs. Wayland Baptist." Then either enter a user name and password or select "Sign up for a new all-access subscription."
