Women's Basketball 1/6/2012 10:53:00 AM

OCU vs. John Brown women's basketball preview

Dietra Caldwell tops seven Stars averaging double figures in scoring with 13.3 points a game.

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

THE MATCHUP: Top-ranked Oklahoma City University begins a three-game home set with a contest against Sooner Athletic Conference foe John Brown (Ark.).
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 prevailed 70-57 over 25th-ranked Rogers State on Thursday in Claremore, Okla. With the contest tied 48-48 with 8:30 left, Dietra Caldwell and Desiree Jeffries had baskets to spark the Stars (13-0, 7-0 SAC) towards a game-changing 12-2 run.
Jeffries, a 6-foot junior from Oklahoma City, registered her third double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Jeffries averages 10.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.92 steals a game.
Tiffany Goldwire, a 5-9 senior from Oklahoma City, collected 14 points, five rebounds and three steals. Goldwire hit 8 of her 9 free-throw attempts. Goldwire produces 13.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.46 steals a game. Philicia Kelly, a 5-9 senior from Nassau, Bahamas, and Nicollette Smith, a 6-2 senior from Tulsa, Okla., chipped in 11 points each.
OCU ranks in the top five in 11 team statistical categories, leading the NAIA with an average victory margin of 41.3 points per game. To see where OCU stacks up statistically in the NAIA, click here.
The Stars own the No. 1 ranking in the NAIA Division I rankings. Five-time national champion OCU ranks among the leaders in wins in NAIA women's basketball over the past decade. The Stars have been favored to win the SAC championship in the preseason by league coaches. OCU has won 12 league titles.
OCU leads the overall series against John Brown 31-4. The Stars posted their 13th consecutive 20-win season with a 75-54 victory over John Brown on Feb. 14, 2011 at Abe Lemons Arena. Lauren Gober had 21 points, seven rebounds and four steals.

ABOUT THE GOLDEN EAGLES: Mid-America Christian edged John Brown 58-56 on Thursday in Siloam Springs, Ark. Parris Price's layup with 48 seconds left made the difference against John Brown (8-7, 2-5 SAC).
Chelsea Garrison, a 6-2 senior, spearheaded John Brown with 17 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Garrison records 8.3 points and 4.8 rebounds a game. Sierra Shipley, a 5-9 sophomore, had 11 points and four rebounds. Shipley averages 11.9 points and 4.3 rebounds a game.
John Brown tied for fifth in the preseason SAC coaches poll.

ABOUT THE COACHES: Rob Edmisson has posted a stellar 190-30 record in his seventh season at OCU and a 492-149 record overall in his 22nd season as a head coach. Edmisson, a two-time SAC coach of the year, has led the Stars to SAC regular-season championships four times and four SAC Tournament titles. Edmisson coached the only player drafted into the WNBA from OCU, Mariam Sy, as well as six others who turned professional. He won 192 games at Hutchinson (Kan.) and 110 as a high-school coach in Kansas.
Jeff Soderquist has become John Brown's winningest women's basketball coach with 207 career wins in 14 seasons. He has taken John Brown to three NAIA Tournament appearances including last season.

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. 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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