Men's Basketball 2/25/2012 7:46:00 PM

OCU comes up short 79-69 against Oklahoma Baptist

Stars lose but still earn SAC Tournament bid

Shane Rogers notched eight points, six assists and five rebounds against Oklahoma Baptist Saturday.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University challenged top-ranked Oklahoma Baptist but fell short 79-69 Saturday in the final regular-season game at Able Lemons Arena.
The loss drops the Stars to 12-14 on the season and 9-13 in Sooner Athletic Conference play.
“They're the number one team in the country for a reason,” OCU coach Dionne Phelps said. “They're a very composed team. I'm proud of the way our guys fought. They never laid down out there.”
The Stars jumped out to a quick 3-1 lead, but Oklahoma Baptist hit three consecutive 3-point baskets to spark a 25-6 run and make the score 26-9 with 12:13 to go in the first half.
OCU countered with a 14-0 run of its own to make the score 26-23 with 8:24 remaining. The Stars got 3-point buckets from Kaleb Smith and Orlan Jackman to help cut into the Oklahoma Baptist lead.
The Bison finished the half on an 11-2 run to take a 42-30 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The Stars only managed 34 percent from the floor and 28 percent from 3-point range in the first half.
Oklahoma Baptist maintained a double-digit lead until back-to-back 3-pointers from Smith brought the Stars to within seven of the lead with 9:53 to play.
At the 5:20 mark Troynell Adams buried a 3-pointer from the left corner to cut the Oklahoma Baptist lead to 63-61, but that was as close as OCU would get. The Bison hit free throws down to the stretch to escape with a 79-69 victory.
Jackman led the Stars with a team-high 17 points and 14 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season. Charlton Jones added 14 points and five assists and Smith poured in 11 points hitting 3-of-3 from behind the 3-point line.
OCU finished the season in a tie with Mid-America Christian and Northwestern Oklahoma State for eighth place in the conference. The Stars will advance to the SAC Tournament as the eighth seed due to a 3-1 record against Mid-America and Northwestern this season.
“I feel good about the situation,” Phelps said. “We needed a break. If you think about all the last-second shots and overtime games, this team just needed something good to happen for them so I'm excited.”
Tournament pairings will be finalized and released Sunday. The Stars will likely receive the No. 8 seed and play top-seeded Oklahoma Baptist.
“You want to be matched up with the best to see where you stand,” Phelps said. “We're very fortunate to be in the conference tournament and now we just have to our part. The one thing you can count on is that we are going to fight.”
The SAC Tournament will be played March 1-3 at Bill George Arena in Siloam Springs, Ark.

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