NAIA Division I Tournament quarterfinals
2 p.m. Saturday, March 20
Oman Arena in Jackson, Tenn.
THE MATCHUP: Oklahoma City University battles Shawnee State (Ohio) for a place in the NAIA Division I women's basketball tournament semifinals.
The Stars have a storied history, winning national championships in 1988, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002. OCU advanced to the finals in 2003, 2004 and 2005. OCU has qualified for 17 NAIA Tournaments, 14 in a row. For ticket information, click here.
ABOUT THE STARS: Oklahoma City University (27-3) continued its stifling display of defense in the NAIA Tournament with a 67-51 win over Xavier (La.) Friday. The Stars forced the Gold Rush into 21 turnovers, and have combined to get 46 in the two-game tournament span. The Stars win came despite hitting only 39.3 percent of their shots from the field and going 20-of-40 from the free-throw line.
The fourth-ranked Stars were led by Tiffany Goldwire, a 5-foot-9 junior from Oklahoma City. Goldwire pumped in a game- and season-high 15 points and added seven rebounds and three assists in the win. She was 6-of-8 from the field for the Stars. Goldwire contributes 5.7 points and 4.5 rebounds nightly.
Lauren Gober, a 6-2 sophomore from Newcastle, Okla., was the only other OCU player to reach double-digit scoring. Gober added 13 points, six rebounds and two steals in the game. She leads the team with 13.2 points and 5.4 rebounds a night. She sits in 13th in the NAIA swishing 42.8 percent of her attempts from 3-point range.
Breezy Martin, a 5-11 senior from Oklahoma City, added seven rebounds while Desiree Jeffries, a 6-foot sophomore from Oklahoma City, posted a game-high four assists in the contest.
Donica Cosby, a 5-8 senior from Coldwater, Miss., was named to the NAIA Coaches All-American team this week with Gober picking up honorable mention honors. The Stars earned numerous Sooner Athletic Conference accolades this season, with junior Taylor Booze being tapped as co-defensive player of the year. Cosby and Gober were first-team all-SAC selections. Booze and Starr Fairbanks found spots on the third team with Jeffries earning an honorable-mention nod.
OCU is in the top three in six team categories in the NAIA. The Stars lead all teams with a 47.9 percent team shooting percentage and a scoring margin of 29.4 points a game. OCU sits in second with 18.0 assists and 86.0 points per game. To see where OCU stacks up statistically in the NAIA, click here.
The Stars were fourth in the latest NAIA Division I rankings. OCU has won or tied for the SAC conference title 11 times. Five-time national champion OCU entered the season tied for the most wins in NAIA women's basketball since 2000-01.
OCU and Shawnee State have never met in women's basketball competition.
ABOUT THE BEARS: Shawnee State (Ohio) used a hot-handed offensive effort to take out second-seeded California Baptist 64-58 and advance to the NAIA tournament quarterfinals. The Bears advanced to 26-9 on the season, their first year as NAIA Division I competitors.
Abby Ballman, a 5-9 junior,played all 40 minutes of game action and ended with 12 points, five rebounds and two blocks. Ballman, an all-conference selection, leads the team with 13.6 points per night and 109 steals on the season. She contributes 4.8 rebounds and a team-leading 4.6 assists per game.
Alex Pohl, a 5-11 sophomore,posted 12 points, nine rebounds and three steals in the win. Pohl puts in 9.2 points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds each night. Jill Cropper, a 5-11 senior, nearly posted a double-double with 10 points and nine boards for the Bears. Cropper adds an average of 12.1 points of offense and 6.1 rebounds for the Bears. Alannah Sheets, a 5-9 freshman, added 10 points in her 36 minutes of play. Sheets contributes 7.5 points and 2.0 rebounds a game for Shawnee State.
Shawnee State was NAIA Division II runner-up in 2010 before transitioning to Division I this year.
ABOUT THE COACHES: Rob Edmisson has posted a stellar 177-29 record in his sixth season at OCU and a 479-147 record overall in his 21st season as a head coach. Edmisson, a two-time SAC coach of the year, has led the Stars to SAC regular-season championships four times and four SAC Tournament titles. Edmisson coached the only player drafted into the WNBA from OCU, Mariam Sy. He won 192 games at Hutchinson (Kan.) and 110 as a high-school coach in Kansas.
Robin Hagen-Smith was named coach of the year in the Mid-South Conference after leading the Bears to a tie for second place in Shawnee State's first season in Division I. Hagen-Smith is in her 28th season at Shawnee State and has compiled a 640-187 record.
QUOTABLE: “Shawnee State does a lot of things well. They try to keep the game slow, so it's going to be a contrast of styles. We're going to want to go fast and press and they're going to want to go slow and keep going to it. The team that can get to play their style most of the game is going to have a chance to win.” –Edmisson
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.
To see OCU's 2010-11 women's basketball media guie, click here.
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.
OCU NAIA TOURNAMENT BROADCASTS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: All About Car Care with Scotty Dee, Benchmark Financial Group, Inc., Black Diamond Retrievers, Brandi Levings, Redbud Realty & Associates, Campbell Metal Works, Central Oklahoma Frontier Country, Dr. Gary A. Rouse, OMS Technologies, Rite Tech Cell Phone & Computer Repair, Win Shelton State Farm Agency and XL Specialized Trailers.
ON THE AIR: The game will be broadcast via the OCU athletics web site. Greg Merick and Andrew Himes will call the game. Click here to listen to the broadcast. The NAIA will provide live stats and a live video stream.
