Men's Basketball 1/6/2012 2:42:00 PM

OCU vs. John Brown men's basketball preview

C.J. Busby scored seven points against Rogers State Thursday.

5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7
Abe Lemons Arena

THE MATCH UP: Oklahoma City University looks to get back on track as they head home to take on Sooner Athletic Conference opponent John Brown (Ark.).
Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for students and free to OCU students, faculty and staff with their ID.

ABOUT THE STARS: The Stars came up short against fifth-ranked Rogers State, falling 81-79 on a last second shot after leading the entire second half Thursday. OCU is 7-4 overall and 4-3 in SAC play.
Forward Orlan Jackman fired a career-high 29 points in the contest. His previous career high was 22 points against Oklahoma Baptist on Feb. 19, 2011. The senior from London drained five 3-pointers against Rogers State, doubling his total number of made 3-point baskets on the season.
Sophomore Tim Morton posted 20 points and eight rebounds against Rogers State. The 6-foot-9 center has scored in double figures in six of OCU's 11 games this season, including 18-point outbursts against Mid-America Christian, Northwestern Oklahoma State and USAO.
Point guard Charlton Jones dropped 14 points and four assists in the loss. Jones has scored 14 points or more in his last four outings for the Stars. The junior from Katy, Texas, leads OCU in assists and is currently ranked 10th in NAIA Division I in assists per game with 5.8.
The Stars are currently ranked seventh in NAIA Division I in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 38 percent from the field, and 16th in defensive rebounds per game, pulling down 28.4. 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.
OCU leads the overall series with John Brown 23-12. The Golden Eagles swept the Stars last season, winning 76-71 in Siloam Springs, Ark., and 67-66 at Able Lemons Arena.

ABOUT THE GOLDEN EAGLES: 20th-ranked John Brown defeated Mid-America Christian 85-61 at home on Thursday. The Golden Eagles are 12-3 overall and 4-3 in SAC play.
Forward Adrian Miller led the way with 16 points and 10 rebounds. The 6-foot-4 Miller leads John Brown in scoring with 14 points per game and leads NAIA Division I in field goal percentage, shooting 71 percent from the floor.
Coleson Rakestraw added 14 points in the blowout. The guard leads the team in 3-point shooting at 48 percent and is eighth in NAIA Division I in total 3-pointers made with 42.
6-foot-7 Andy Garcia posted 13 points and 11 rebounds against Mid-America Christian. Garcia averages 11.8 points per contest and leads the Golden Eagles in rebounding at 6.8 per game.
John Brown is ranked first in NAIA Division I in total rebound defense, 25.6, total rebound margin, 14.2, and 3-point field goal percentage, shooting 44 percent from 3-point distance. The Golden Eagles were picked to finish sixth 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.
Clark Sheehy has a 98-57 record in his fifth year at John Brown. In 2010 he guided the Golden Eagles to their first ever SAC Tournament championship and the NAIA Tournament quarterfinals. The son of former John Brown coach John Sheehy, Clark is a two-time all-conference selection as an alumnus of the John Brown program. Prior to returning to his alma mater, Sheehy spent two seasons at the helm at Fresno Pacific (Calif.) and five seasons assisting at NCAA Division I Texas 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 the Stars' games. Greg Merick and Eric Rodgers will call the action. To access the live audio, stats or video for the games, 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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