Men's Basketball 11/21/2011 3:23:00 PM

OCU at Mid-America Christian men's basketball preview

C.J. Busby leads the OCU offense with 14 points per game.

8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 22
Gaulke Activity Center in Oklahoma City

THE MATCHUP: Oklahoma City University opens Sooner Athletic Conference play on the road against Mid-America Christian.

ABOUT THE STARS: The Stars enter the contest with a 3-1 record after sweeping two games in the Halo Classic, Nov. 18-19 in San Antonio. OCU downed St. Thomas (Texas) 77-72 in overtime and Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) 83-73.
Point guard Charlton Jones posted 13 points and three assists against St. Thomas followed by a game high outburst of 19 points, eight assists and six rebounds against OLLU. The junior from Katy, Texas, is averaging 10 points and 6.3 assists through four games.
Junior Tim Morton only saw 10 minutes of action against St. Thomas but dropped 17 points and grabbed five rebounds in 25 minutes against OLLU. The post player from Capital Heights, Md., is averaging 8.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game while shooting 75 percent from the floor.
C.J. Busby, of Beaumont, Texas, leads the team in scoring at 14 points per game, and followed a six point effort against St. Thomas with an 18 point performance against OLLU. The junior forward is currently ranked fourth in the NAIA in 3-point shots made per game at 4.25.
Senior Shane Rogers returned to action in the tournament and recorded a pair of double-figure scoring efforts with 10 points against St. Thomas and 12 against OLLU. The guard from Flower Mound, Texas, averages 8.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest.
Forward Orlan Jackman posted a team high 17 points against St. Thomas, but was held scoreless against OLLU. The senior out of London, averages 9.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.
The Stars are ranked fifth in the NAIA in scoring defense at 56 points per game and ninth in field goal percentage defense, holding teams to 35 percent shooting from the floor.
OCU owns an 11-2 record all-time against Mid-America Christian. The Stars split with the Evangels as season ago, winning 77-73 at Abe Lemons Arena and falling 74-68 on the road.
The Stars are picked to finish seventh in the conference this season by the SAC coaches.

ABOUT THE EVANGELS: The Evangels enter conference play at 3-0 with wins over Bacone and Bethany (Kan.) in the Southwestern Christian Classic in Bethany, Okla., and Oklahoma Wesleyan in Bartlesville, Okla.
MACU is led by guard Charlie Shorter. The 6-1 junior is averaging 17.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game this season. Shorter posted 20 points and five rebounds against Oklahoma Wesleyan on Nov. 15.
Senior George Haynes chips in with 15 points and six rebounds per game. The 6-9 center had a season high 22 points and seven rebounds against Bethany on Nov. 5.
Guard Brandon Williams and forward Cameron Langster also average double-figures, scoring 13.6 and 10.6 points per game respectively.
MACU ranks fourth in the NAIA in defensive rebounds per game at 33.3 and 10th in total rebounds per game with 45.
The Evangels are picked to finish ninth in the conference this season by the SAC coaches.

ABOUT THE COACHES: Dionne Phelps enters his first season as a head coach with OCU. Phelps took over the Stars after serving as assistant coach at Oklahoma. Phelps has been a part of four conference title teams as well as three NCAA Tournament teams during his 22-year coaching career. Phelps played for Texas Lutheran, eventually joining the Bulldogs Athletic Hall of Fame.
Willie Holley enters his 38th season as head coach at MACU. Holley has a career record of 737-470 entering the season, and has led MACU to four NCCAA Division II National Championships.

QUOTABLE: “I think out of all the players that we have, Cory Nicholson represents the philosophy of what we are trying to build here at OCU. Hard worker, dedicated off the floor, dedicated on the floor, relentless, and I hope when people come out to see us play that is what they see.” – Phelps

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 http://www.youtube.com/ocustars.
Be sure to catch the OCU Athletics Update video program weekly on ocusports.com, the OCU YouTube Channel or on the 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.
Know when the game is happening by calling the OCU athletics hotline at (405) 208-5400.

ON THE AIR: OCU athletics has partnered with Stretch internet to provide live and on-demand audio, stats and video of Stars' games. Greg Merick and Eric Rodgers will call the game. To access live audio for the game, visit OCU's Stretch portal by clicking here.
MACU will provide live stats and video of the game. To follow live stats, click here, and for the video, click here.

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