8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 15
USAO Fieldhouse in Chickasha, Okla.
THE MATCHUP: Oklahoma City University takes on Sooner Athletic Conference foe USAO in a road contest.
ABOUT THE STARS: Southern Nazarene made the plays late to knock off OCU 71-60 on Thursday at Abe Lemons Arena. The Stars (11-6, 4-5 SAC) cut their deficit to 47-46 with 13:09 remaining, but Southern Nazarene increased its lead to double digits down the stretch.
Dee Proby, a 6-foot-10 senior from Round Rock, Texas, supplied OCU with 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor. Proby came off the bench to help OCU build a 38-18 advantage in bench scoring. Proby provides the Stars with 12.4 points and 4.2 rebounds a game.
Johnny Stephene, a 6-1 junior from Boynton Beach, Fla., contributed 10 points. Stephene averages 11.9 points and 2.8 assists a game. Orlan Jackman, a 6-6 junior from London, added 10 points and four rebounds in his Stars debut. Jackman hit 4 out of 8 shots from the field.
OCU ranks second in the NAIA with a 51.4 percent field-goal percentage and 19.8 assists per game. To see where OCU stacks up statistically in the NAIA, click here.
The Stars were unranked in the latest NAIA Division I 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 owns a 30-11 advantage over USAO in the all-time series. The Stars beat USAO 72-59 on Feb. 22, 2010 at Abe Lemons Arena.
ABOUT THE DROVERS: Mid-America Christian held off USAO 85-78 on Thursday in Oklahoma City. USAO (6-8, 2-6 SAC) sliced Mid-America's lead to 78-72 with 1:43 left in the game, but Mid-America nailed five free throws to stretch its lead to 11 points with 24 seconds remaining.
Thomas Peters, a 6-2 senior, led USAO with 27 points, three assists and three steals. Peters averages 14.8 points and 2.4 rebounds a game. Phillip Harris, a 5-11 sophomore, chipped in 16 points and five rebounds. Harris records 8.3 points and 2.3 rebounds a game. Sahlih Butts, a 6-4 senior, tops USAO with 15.5 points and 10.1 rebounds a game.
SAC coaches predicted USAO to finish 11th in the 12-team conference.
ABOUT THE COACHES: Kevin Morrissey has posted a 43-32 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.
Brisco McPherson has a 273-289 record in his 20th season as USAO coach. McPherson, also the school's athletic director, led USAO to the 2002 NAIA championship.
QUOTABLE: “He's a better rebounder than he showed tonight. He hasn't played in a while. It will be a while before he gets his feet underneath him.” – Morrissey on Jackman
FOLLOW THE STARS: Fans can keep up on the latest on OCU athletics through several ways.
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.
Check out OCU's 2010-11 men's basketball media guide 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 calls the action, while Andrew Himes provides commentary. Click here to listen to the broadcast. USAO will provide live stats, which can be viewed by clicking here.
