8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 3
Bill George Arena in Siloam Springs, Ark.
THE MATCHUP: Oklahoma City University seeks its first road victory of the season in a matchup with conference opponent John Brown (Ark.).
ABOUT THE STARS: OCU could not overcome a 13-point first-half deficit and fell 73-66 to Rogers State on New Year's Day. Though the Stars outshot the Hillcats 46.4 percent to 45.5 percent, Rogers State earned an additional seven points at the free-throw line which proved to be the eventual margin in the loss. OCU fell to 10-3, 3-2 in Sooner Athletic Conference play.
Shane Rogers, a 6-foot-4 junior from Flower Mound, Texas, led the way with 15 points, six assists and three rebounds for the Stars. Rogers shot 7-for-11 from the field in the loss. He nearly doubled his season averages of 7.9 points and 3.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game in the loss to Rogers State.
Brandon Moton, a 6-3 junior from Beaumont, Texas, added 11 points, two rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal. Moton shot 4-for-9 from the field and drained two 3-point baskets in the game. He averages a team-high 13.5 points per game.
Kaleb Smith, a 6-5 freshman from Choctaw, Okla., added 10 points and two rebounds for OCU. Smith is averaging 7.1 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. Nate Flowers, a 6-5 senior from Waldorf, Md., had a quiet night scoring, only mustering one point in the game, but had a game-high nine rebounds for his efforts. Flowers is averaging 13.4 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. He ranks third in the NAIA for total rebounds (138).
OCU ranks No. 1 in the NAIA at 21.5 assists a game. The Stars have the third best field-goal percentage in the nation at 52.0 percent. To see where OCU stacks up statistically in the NAIA, click here.
The Stars were at No. 21 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 holds a 23-10 advantage over John Brown in the all-time series, but the Stars have lost the last four meetings with the Golden Eagles. John Brown edged OCU 81-76 in the last meeting on Feb. 4 in Siloam Springs, Ark.
ABOUT THE GOLDEN EAGLES: John Brown gave up a 71-66 decision to Mid-America Christian in Sooner Athletic Conference action at the Gaulke Activity Center in Oklahoma City on New Year's Day. John Brown dropped to 10-3, 2-3 in the SAC.
Andrius Mikutis, a 6-4 senior, returned from a nearly two month recovery from leg injury to finish with 11 points, all of which were first half baskets. Mikutis is averaging 16.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.00 steals per game in his three contests. Adrian Miller, a 6-4 junior, contributed 11 points. Miller averages 11.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, the latter two team highs. Coleson Rakestraw, a 6-3 sophomore, added 10 points in the loss. Rakestraw is averaging 13.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game this season.
John Brown had been projected to finish fourth in the league, one point ahead of OCU, according to the preseason SAC coaches poll.
ABOUT THE COACHES: Kevin Morrissey has posted a 42-29 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.
Clark Sheehy has a 69-44 record in his fourth year at John Brown. Last season he guided the Golden Eagles to their first-ever Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament Championship and a quarterfinal appearance in the NAIA National Tournament. He is the son of former John Brown coach John Sheehy. Clark is a two-time all-conference selection as an alumnus of the John Brown program. Prior to returning to his alma mater, Sheehy spent two seasons at the helm at Fresno Pacific (Calif.) and five seasons assisting at NCAA Division I Texas State.
QUOTABLE: “John Brown has a new arena so this will give us a different look. They swept us last year so we'll have our hands full, that's for sure.” – 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.
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 serves as the voice of the Stars, while Andrew Himes will provide color commentary. Click here to listen to the broadcast.
John Brown offers live video and audio of select home basketball games. Click here to watch or listen to live. For the live stats, click here.
