Men's Basketball 1/20/2012 1:37:00 PM

OCU vs. USAO men's basketball preview

Shane Rogers contributes 7.3 points and 3.6 rebounds a game for the Stars.

5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21
Abe Lemons Arena

THE MATCHUP: Oklahoma City University aims for a season sweep of Sooner Athletic Conference foe USAO.
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: The Stars dropped a 76-70 decision to 14th-ranked Southern Nazarene on Thursday in Bethany, Okla. OCU (9-6, 6-5 SAC) committed 21 turnovers and shot 37.7 percent from the field.
Orlan Jackman, a 6-foot-6 senior from London, fueled OCU with 27 points, 15 rebounds and three assists. Jackman matched his Stars career of 15 rebounds he had at Mid-America Christian on Nov. 22. Jackman tops OCU with 13.4 points and 9.0 rebounds a game.
Troynell Adams, a 6-4 junior from Chicago, posted 13 points, eight rebounds and two assists. He sank 7 of 10 free throws Thursday night. Adams averages 7.4 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. Tim Morton, a 6-9 sophomore from Capital Heights, Md., scored 10 points. Morton compiles 12.1 points and 6.5 rebounds a game.
Charlton Jones hands out 5.9 assists a game to rank 11th nationally. To see how the Stars stack up statistically with the rest of NAIA Division I, click here.
The Stars received votes in the latest NAIA Division I rankings. OCU are tied for fifth in the league standings after being predicted to finish seventh in the SAC in the preseason.
OCU leads the series against USAO 31-12. The Stars toppled USAO 75-64 on Dec. 1 in Chickasha, Okla. Morton spearheaded the Stars with 18 points and nine rebounds.

ABOUT THE DROVERS: USAO suffered an 84-75 setback to Mid-America Christian on Thursday in Oklahoma City. USAO (10-6, 6-4 SAC) managed 34.3 percent shooting from the floor while holding Mid-America to 39.7 percent shooting.
Kyle Hunt, a 6-8 forward, totaled 25 points and 16 rebounds while hitting 9 of his 12 shots from the field. Hunt leads USAO with 17.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.93 blocks per game. Benjamin Berry, a 6-4 guard, had 14 points, nine rebounds and three steals Thursday. He averages 8.5 points and 4.9 rebounds.
SAC coaches predicted USAO would finish eighth in the league in the preseason.

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 for 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 Bulldog Athletic Hall of Fame.
Brisco McPherson has guided USAO to a 294-312 record in 21 seasons. McPherson led the Drovers to the NAIA title in 2002.

QUOTABLE: “In this league the coaches do a great job preparing their teams for each opponent, so when we go out on the floor every game we play is going to be one of the toughest games we've played. We don't have a night off, ever. We're growing and maturing with each and every game, and each and every opportunity has given us a little more experience for the next.” – Phelps said

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 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. 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. Greg Merick and Eric Rodgers will call the action. 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 men'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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