Men's Basketball 2/1/2012 11:10:00 AM

OCU at Oklahoma Baptist men's basketball preview

Cory Nicholson averages 4.2 points and 2.8 rebounds per game for the Stars.

8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2
Noble Complex in Shawnee, Okla.

THE MATCHUP: Oklahoma City University matches up with Sooner Athletic Conference front runner and fourth-ranked Oklahoma Baptist on the road.

ABOUT THE STARS: OCU fell 55-51 to Northwestern Oklahoma State on Saturday at Percefull Fieldhouse. The Stars (9-9, 6-8 SAC) are tied with Mobile (Ala.) for most losses by single digits (nine) in NAIA Division I this season.
Orlan Jackman, a 6-foot-6 senior from London, sparked OCU with 14 points, six rebounds and two assists. Jackman shot 9-for-10 from the free-throw line. Jackman leads OCU with 13.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 0.72 blocked shots a game.
Kaleb Smith, a 6-5 sophomore from Choctaw, Okla., supplied the Stars with a season-high nine points off the bench. Smith chips in 3.0 points a game. Shane Rogers, a 6-4 senior from Flower Mound, Texas, produced eight points, nine rebounds and three steals Saturday. Rogers averages 7.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and a team-high 1.65 steals a game.
Charlton Jones dishes out 5.5 assists a game to rank third in the league and 15th nationally. To see how the Stars stack up statistically with the rest of NAIA Division I, click here.
The Stars are unranked 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 overall series against Oklahoma Baptist 61-49. OBU ousted the Stars from the SAC Tournament 84-71 on March 3, 2011 at Abe Lemons Arena. Jackman had nine points.

ABOUT THE BISON: John Brown (Ark.) upended Oklahoma Baptist 78-71 on Saturday in Siloam Springs, Ark. John Brown shot 58 percent from the field, 72.7 percent in the second half and knocked down 8 of 10 3-pointers in the second against Oklahoma Baptist (18-3, 11-3 SAC).
Heath McKay, a 5-11 senior, scored a team-high 22 points while hitting four 3-pointers. McKay adds 10.0 points and 1.29 steals a game. Emmanuel Wilson, a 6-4 senior, had 11 points and four steals vs. John Brown. He averages 17.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.33 steals.
SAC coaches expected Oklahoma Baptist to win the conference title in the preseason.

ABOUT THE COACHES: Dionne Phelps is in the midst of his first season as a head coach with OCU. Phelps took over the Stars after serving as assistant coach for Oklahoma, which featured future No. 1 NBA Draft pick Blake Griffin during his tenure. 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.
Doug Tolin guided Oklahoma Baptist its first national championship since 1966 in 2010. Tolin has led OBU to a 323-84 record and 11 consecutive national-tournament appearances in his 12th season. Tolin's overall coaching record stands at 643-310 in 34 years as a head coach.

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 will provide the play-by-play, while Eric Rodgers will give the commentary. To access the live audio for the game, visit OCU's Stretch portal by clicking here.
OBU will provide live stats and video of the game. To watch the game or follow the game via live stats, click here.

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