OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University exploded in the second half for a 65-46 victory over cross-town rival Oklahoma Christian on Saturday inside Abe Lemons.
The Stars, ranked 20th in NAIA Division I, outscored Oklahoma Christian 41-22 after halftime to improve to 13-7, 11-6 in the Sooner Athletic Conference. With the win, OCU moved into sole possession of third place in the Sooner Athletic Conference, one game ahead of Oklahoma Christian.
The Stars finished a stretch of five games in the first 13 days of February. OCU swept its men's and women's basketball games this season against Oklahoma Christian in the Backyard Brawl rivalry.
“That was a big win at this point and time because we were tied with Oklahoma Christian for third place,” OCU coach Kevin Morrissey said. “It wasn't necessarily the tempo we wanted to play in the first half, but we were a little bit better in the second. We were able to get some turnovers and capitalize on some easy transition points.”
Chris Brown, a senior from Spencer, Okla., led the way off the bench with 15 points for OCU.
Corey Bingham, a junior from Lynn, Mass., turned in 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting from 3-point range. Jerome Phillips, a senior from Chickasha, Okla., added 12 points and eight rebounds, while Kavon Lytch, a junior from Brooklyn, N.Y., had 10 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
OCU held a dominating 42-22 edge in rebounding, including 16 offensive rebounds. The Stars outscored Oklahoma Christian 13-4 in second-chance points. The Stars' bench had a 26-6 advantage against OC.
“They played the zone and were vulnerable to rebounding,” Morrissey said. “That is something we talked about before the game, and we had 11 offensive rebounds in the first half. We made more shots in the second half and those rebounds weren't necessarily there. I told the guys we need to attack that when we are on the offensive end. Don't just be content with watching the ball go up. We have to pursue it.”
The Stars went on a 13-0 run early in the second half to take a double-digit lead at 37-26. OCU held Oklahoma Christian scoreless for 4:24 during that stretch.
Jeremy McCarty gave OCU the lead at 27-26 on a 3-point play with 18:59 remaining to start the run. Bingham followed with a 3-pointer to give OCU a 30-26 advantage. The Stars pulled down two offensive rebounds on the next possession, and Phillips buried a 3-pointer to make the score 33-26 with 17:03 left in the game. Brown hit a jumper, and McCarty finished the run with a pair of free throws with 14:53 to go.
The Stars struggled to start the game with only one field goal in the first 10:24 of the first half. With Oklahoma Christian up 13-6, Brown hit a jumper, followed by a 3-pointer from Bingham to cut the lead to 13-11 with 7:19 to play in the half.
OCU scored the final three points of the half to tie game at 24-24 heading into the break.
The Stars will travel to face USAO in Chickasha, Okla. on Thursday at 8 p.m.
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