6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 18
USAO Fieldhouse in Chickasha, Okla.
THE MATCHUP: Oklahoma City University hits the road for a Sooner Athletic Conference matchup with USAO. The Stars are riding a 15-game winning streak.
ABOUT THE STARS: OCU topped No. 19 Oklahoma Christian 75-71 in overtime on Saturday inside Abe Lemons Arena.
The Stars (21-3, 16-1 SAC) scored the final 11 points in overtime to erase a seven-point deficit with 1:56 remaining. OCU converted 8-of-11 from the free-throw line in overtime.
Laura Duncan hit a 3-pointer to start the streak and cut the Oklahoma Christian lead to 71-67 with 1:31 left. Holly Hardin made one free throw, then Lauren Gober hit 2-of-3 from the charity stripe to cut the deficit to 71-70 with 43 seconds on the clock. Donica Cosby converted a 3-point play to give OCU the lead for good at 73-71 with 26 seconds left. Duncan capped the run with a pair of free throws.
Hardin, a 6-foot senior from Chickasha, Okla., led the way for OCU with 21 points and 13 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season. Hardin, the SAC player of the week, averages 11.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.17 blocks per game.
Gober, a 6-1 freshman from Newcastle, Okla., added 11 points and four rebounds. Gober averages 10.2 points and 3.8 rebounds. Chontaye Walter, a 5-8 senior from Oklahoma City, had 10 points, four assists and two steals. Cosby, a 5-8 junior from Coldwater, Miss., leads OCU with 14.2 points per outing.
OCU ranks fifth in NAIA Division I in field-goal percentage (0.462). The Stars also rank seventh in assists per game (17.6) and ninth in scoring margin (17.9). Hardin leads the SAC with an 8.6 rebound average per game.
The Stars are ranked sixth in the latest NAIA Division I poll. OCU 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 has a 38-3 record and a 27-game streak all-time against USAO. The Stars knocked off USAO 61-47 on Jan. 29, 2009 at Abe Lemons Arena. Hardin led OCU with 13 points and 20 rebounds.
ABOUT THE LADY DROVERS: USAO dropped a 57-50 decision to Rogers State on Monday in Chickasha, Okla. The Lady Drovers fell to 5-20, 3-14 in the SAC with the loss.
USAO shot just 35.1 percent from the field, while Rogers made 48.0 percent of its shots.
Krista Beaty had 19 points, six rebounds and three assists for USAO. Beaty, a 5-10 sophomore, leads the team with 14.8 points per game. Charite Lewis, a 5-9 senior, added 13 points and six rebounds. Lewis averages 13.0 points and a team-high 8.2 rebounds.
Coaches picked USAO to finish 10th in the SAC preseason poll.
ABOUT THE COACHES: Rob Edmisson has posted a stellar 138-25 record in his fifth season at OCU and a 440-144 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.
Laci Tompkins enters her first year as head coach at USAO after nine successful seasons at Redlands (Okla.). Tompkins played basketball at USAO from 1991-95. She also spent four seasons as an assistant coach under George Davidson at USAO from 1996-99.
QUOTABLE: “This team has shown a great deal of resilience. That's two out of the last three games we've had to do this. We're just trying to find a way to win. In the end, it's good to have players who can make those plays.” – 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 Twiter 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: The game will be broadcast via the OCU athletics web site. Greg Merick and Andrew Himes will call the game. Click here to listen to the broadcast.
