Women's Basketball 12/2/2011 2:09:00 PM

OCU vs. Southern Nazarene women's basketball preview

Kayla MacKenzie sinks 3.00 3-pointers a game to rank fifth in NAIA Division I.

3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3
Abe Lemons Arena

THE MATCHUP: Oklahoma City University and Southern Nazarene meet again in the NAIA's most heated women's basketball rivalry.
OCU and Southern Nazarene have combined for 25 Sooner Athletic Conference championships, 17 of 18 SAC Tournament titles and 12 NAIA Division I championships. The two played for the national championship each year from 2002-04, with the Stars capturing the NAIA title in 2002.
Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students, while OCU students, faculty and staff are allowed into all regular-season OCU athletics events for free with their ID.

ABOUT THE STARS: OCU crushed USAO 98-44 on Thursday in Chickasha, Okla. The Stars (5-0, 2-0 SAC) posted advantages in points in the paint (40-14) and points off turnovers (32-9).
Lauren Gober, a 6-foot-2 junior from Newcastle, Okla., notched her third double-double of her career with 21 points, 11 rebounds and three steals. She knocked in four 3-pointers. Gober has produced 11.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.40 steals a game this season.
Dietra Caldwell, a 5-8 senior from Missouri City, Texas, recorded 20 points, seven rebounds and three steals Thursday. Caldwell shot 7-for-9 from the field and 3-for-5 on 3-pointers. Her 60 percent field-goal percentage ranks sixth nationally. Caldwell averages 15.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.60 steals a game. Kayla MacKenzie, a 5-6 senior from Peoria, Ariz., came off the bench to have 16 points and four steals. MacKenzie leads OCU with 16.4 points and 3.00 steals a game.
OCU lead NAIA Division I with a 48.4-point average victory margin and a plus-18.5 turnover margin. The Stars score 96.6 points a game to rank second nationally and give up 48.2 points per game to rate third. To see where OCU stacks up statistically in the NAIA, click here.
The Stars were third in the preseason NAIA Division I rankings. Five-time national champion OCU ranks among the leaders in wins in NAIA women's basketball over the past decade. OCU captured its 12th SAC regular-season title and reeled off its 13th consecutive 25-win season in 2010-11. The Stars have been favored to win the SAC championship in the preseason by league coaches.
Southern Nazarene holds the edge on OCU in the all-time series 35-32. The Stars picked up the SAC regular-season crown and clinched its 13th 25-win season in a row with a 66-60 victory over SNU on Feb. 26 in Bethany, Okla., in the last meeting. Desiree Jeffries led OCU with 13 points and eight rebounds.

ABOUT THE CRIMSON STORM: Southern Nazarene routed Mid-America Christian 73-41 on Thursday in Bethany, Okla. Mid-America shot 18.2 percent from the floor against Southern Nazarene (5-2, 1-0 SAC).
Logan Martin, a 5-9 senior, spearheaded Southern with 16 points, four rebounds and five assists. Martin averages 12.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.14 steals a game. Sharmeda Johnson, a 6-foot senior, and Oumoul Thiam, a 6-foot junior, scored 12 points each.
Southern Nazarene is ranked 11th in the NAIA preseason poll. SAC coaches predicted that SNU would finish second in the league.

ABOUT THE COACHES: Rob Edmisson has posted a stellar 182-30 record in his seventh season at OCU and a 484-149 record overall in his 22nd season as a head coach. Edmisson, a two-time SAC coach of the year, has led the Stars to four SAC regular-season championships and four SAC Tournament titles. Edmisson coached the only player drafted into the WNBA from OCU, Mariam Sy, as well as six other Stars who have turned professional. He won 192 games at Hutchinson (Kan.) and 110 as a high-school coach in Kansas.
Lori Carter owns a 200-77 record in her seventh season guiding Southern Nazarene. Including three seasons at St. Gregory's, Carter has a 239-130 record as a head coach. Carter, the four-time SAC coach of the year, played for SNU from 1989-92 and served as an assistant at OCU from 1996-98 before leading the Storm to the 2004 NAIA championship.

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/ocustars.
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.
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: OCU athletics has partnered with Stretch Internet to provide live and on-demand audio, stats and video of the Stars' games. Eric Rodgers will call the game. To access the live audio, stats or video for the game, visit OCU's Stretch portal by clicking here.
The live audio and stats will be provided free of charge, while the cost to see the video will be $6.95. A women's basketball season pass that allows you to see all the Stars' 2011-12 home games costs $29.95, while an 2011-12 all-sports pass costs $79.95.

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