Men's Basketball 1/4/2012 2:49:00 PM

OCU at Rogers State men's basketball preview

Sam Ferguson averages 5.6 points and 2.1 assists per game for OCU.

8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 5
Claremore Expo Center in Claremore, Okla.

THE MATCHUP: Oklahoma City University continues Sooner Athletic Conference play as they hit the road to take on fifth-ranked Rogers State.

ABOUT THE STARS: OCU improved to 7-3 on the season and 4-2 in SAC play after downing Northwestern Oklahoma State 71-63 on Monday at Abe Lemons Arena. Orlan Jackman posted 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Stars. Jackman leads OCU in rebounding pulling down 8.2 per game. The Forward from London also leads the team in steals with 1.70 per game while averaging 11.2 points per contest.
Point guard Charlton Jones continued his hot streak with 15 points, six rebounds and five assists. The junior from Katy, Texas, has scored at least 15 points in the last three games while leading the team in scoring, 11.4 points per game, and assists, 6.0 per game. Jones sits ninth in NAIA Division I in assists per game.
Tim Morton of Capital l Heights, Md., provided 18 points and four rebounds for the Stars. The sophomore forward shot 81 percent from the floor against Northwestern and leads the team in field goal percentage at 64 percent on the season. Morton averages 11.2 points per game.
The Stars are currently ranked third in NAIA Division I in 3-point field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 25 percent from 3-point distance, and fourth in field goal percentage defense, holding teams to 36 percent from the floor. To see how the Stars stack up statistically with the rest of the nation, click here.
OCU received a vote in the latest NAIA Davison I rankings. Concordia (Calif.) currently sits atop the rankings. The Stars were picked to finish seventh in the SAC in the preseason.
Rogers State holds a 6-3 all-time record against the Stars. OCU fell to the Hillcats in their last meeting 74-71 on Feb. 12, 2011 at the Reynolds Center in Tulsa, Okla.

ABOUT THE HILLCATS: Rogers State suffered its first loss of the season on Monday, falling 79-69 to third-ranked Oklahoma Baptist. The Hillcats are 12-1 overall and 5-1 in SAC play.
Guard Justynn Hammond posted a team-high 18 points in the loss. Hammond averages 9.4 points per contest and leads the team in assists with 4.1 per game.
Kenny Edwards chipped in with 15 points and seven rebounds against Oklahoma Baptist. The 6-4 forward posts 9.6 points per game and has scored in double figures six times this season including a 16 point performance against Lubbock Christian (Texas).
Center Meneptha Darden finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds in the contest. The 6-8 Darden leads the team in rebounding, pulling down 6.8 per game, and is ranked 16th in NAIA Division I in total blocks with 22.
Rogers State sits first in NAIA Division I in field goal percentage, shooting 52 percent, and fifth in scoring margin at 19.9. Rogers State was picked to finish second in the SAC 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.
Justin Barkley enters his second season as head coach. Barkley led the Hillcats to a 22-12 record and an NAIA National Tournament quarterfinals appearance in his first season as head coach. He previously served as assistant coach for two seasons at Rogers State. Barkley played on Northeastern State's 2003 NCAA Division II championship team and a state championship team at Inola (Okla.).

QUOTABLE: “Rogers State is a very athletic program. They have size and strength. It's going to be a good test to find out who are against Rogers State.” – Phelps on Rogers State

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 the live audio for the game, visit OCU's Stretch portal by clicking here.
Rogers State will provide live stats and video of the game. To follow the game via live stats, click here. To watch the game, click here.

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