8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25
Hutcherson Center in Plainview, Texas
THE MATCHUP: Oklahoma City University begins its final road trip of the regular season with a visit to Wayland Baptist (Texas).
Wayland Baptist will recognize its all-decade team at halftime.
ABOUT THE STARS: OCU clawed its way to a 72-59 win over USAO on Monday at Abe Lemons Arena. The Stars (16-7, 14-6 Sooner Athletic Conference) scored six consecutive points to take the lead for good. Chris Brown's layup capped that run with 4:50 remaining.
Brown, a 6-foot senior from Spencer, Okla., matched his career high with 29 points, hitting 10 of 13 shots from the floor. Brown leads the Stars with 17.7 points a game.
Kavon Lytch, a 6-7 junior from Brooklyn, N.Y., added 14 points and nine rebounds. Lytch totals 14.4 points and 8.4 rebounds a game. Corey Bingham, a 6-3 junior from Lynn, Mass., recorded nine points, three assists and three steals. Bingham averages 12.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.26 steals a game.
OCU's 5.17 blocked shots a game as a team rank in NAIA Division I's top 10. Bryant Williams, a 6-9 junior from Austin, Texas, ranks fifth nationally with 2.39 blocks per game. Williams had five points, six rebounds and five blocks Monday.
The Stars moved to 14th in the last NAIA Division I rankings. In the preseason, the Stars have been picked to finish sixth in the Sooner Athletic Conference. OCU has captured the SAC regular-season crown 13 times.
OCU has a 33-9 record against Wayland Baptist. The Stars drubbed Wayland Baptist 72-53 on Jan. 4 at Abe Lemons Arena. Bingham had 19 points.
ABOUT THE DROVERS: Wayland Baptist fell 69-56 to John Brown (Ark.) on Saturday in Siloam Springs, Ark. Wayland (10-15, 6-14 in the SAC) gave up a seven-point lead.
Bobby Watkins, a 6-5 sophomore, led Wayland with 15 points. Watkins averages 10.6 points and 5.3 rebounds a game. Rishi Kakad, a 6-3 senior, had 10 points and averages a team-high 15.8 points a game.
SAC coaches expected Wayland Baptist to finish ninth in the league in the preseason.
ABOUT THE COACHES: Kevin Morrissey enters his first full season as OCU head coach. 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 55-61 record in his fourth season in Plainview, Texas. Davenport has previously been head coach at Texas-Pan American, LeTourneau (Texas) and Missouri Baptist. OCU assistant Quinn Wooldridge coached under Davenport two years ago.
QUOTABLE: “We made the plays down the stretch. Out of 40 minutes, though, we probably played seven of them. We're tired. This is the third Monday game we've played this month. We need to rest up before the Texas trip.” – Morrissey
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.
Be sure to catch the OCU Athletics Update video program weekly on the OCU YouTube Channel or on OCU Athletics' Facebook page.
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 at (405) 878-2110.
ON THE AIR: This contest will be available via live video and live stats. Click here for the video stream and here for the live game tracker.
