Women's Basketball 3/13/2012 4:29:00 PM

OCU vs. Our Lady of the Lake women's basketball preview

Top-ranked Stars compete in first round of national tournament

Nicollette Smith posted 16.0 points and 4.3 rebounds with a 58.3 percent field-goal percentage in the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament on March 1-3 in Siloam Springs, Ark. Smith was named SAC Tournament most valuable player as the Stars won the league tournament for the ninth time.

NAIA Division I Tournament
9:15 a.m. CST Wednesday, March 14
Frankfort Convention Center in Frankfort, Ky.

THE MATCHUP: No. 1-ranked Oklahoma City University begins pursuit of its sixth national championship starting with a first-round matchup with Our Lady of the Lake (Texas).
OCU won national championships in 1988, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 and reached the finals in 2003, 2004 and 2005. OCU has qualified for 18 NAIA Tournaments, 15 in a row.

ABOUT THE STARS: The Stars won 61-55 over Southern Nazarene to take the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament title March 3 in Siloam Springs, Ark. OCU (30-1) recorded its 10th 30-win season in 13 years.
Dietra Caldwell, a 5-foot-8 senior from Missouri City, Texas, spearheaded OCU with 16 points and two steals in the SAC Tournament championship game. Caldwell, the SAC player of the year, notches 12.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.10 steals a game. She provided OCU 14.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists a game in the SAC Tournament while making the all-tournament team.
Nicollette Smith, a 6-2 senior from Tulsa, Okla., collected 15 points and eight rebounds while nabbing SAC Tournament most valuable player. Smith averages 11.0 points and 4.2 rebounds per game this season and put together 16.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.33 steals in the league tournament. Lauren Gober, a 6-2 junior from Newcastle, Okla., had 13 points and four rebounds. Gober compiles 12.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.45 steals a contest.
OCU leads NAIA Division I with a 33.7-point average victory margin and a 1.16 assist-to-turnover ratio. The Stars rate in the top five statistically in 11 categories. To see where OCU stacks up statistically in the NAIA, click here.
The Stars were the No. 1 team in the final NAIA Division I poll before the national tournament. Five-time national champion OCU has been in every national ranking since 1999-2000.
OCU has never before faced Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) in women's basketball.

ABOUT THE SAINTS: Our Lady of the Lake won the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament with a 76-73 win over LSU-Shreveport on March 5 in Waxahachie, Texas. In its third season of existence, Our Lady of the Lake (26-7) captured its first conference tournament crown and national-tournament berth ever.
Nashae Owens, a 5-7 freshman, scored 19 points en route to winning tournament MVP. Owens, the league freshman of the year, contributes 11.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.94 steals per game. Alisha Crump, a 5-8 junior, added 12 points and seven rebounds. Crump averages 8.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.52 steals a game.

ABOUT THE COACHES: Rob Edmisson has posted a stellar 207-31 record in his seventh season at OCU and a 509-150 record overall in his 22nd season as a head coach. Edmisson, a three-time SAC coach of the year, has led the Stars to five SAC regular-season championships and four SAC Tournament titles. Edmisson coached the only player drafted into the WNBA from OCU, Mariam Sy, as well as six other Stars who have turned professional. He won 192 games at Hutchinson (Kan.) and 110 as a high-school coach in Kansas.
Rusty Kennedy has led Our Lady of the Lake to a 46-16 record in his second season. Kennedy has experience coaching at Clarendon (Texas), Bacone and Central Baptist (Ark.).

QUOTABLE: “This year has been very special for me. Our team is a unique team. I've played on various teams and the love and support we have for one another from the coaching staff to the trainers to the athletic director, it feels like a family. Everything we do is just fun.” – Caldwell

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 featuring an interview with Caldwell.
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.

STAYING IN OKC?: Come to the student lounge of the Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center on the OCU campus to watch the game.

ON THE AIR: The NAIA will provide live stats and a live video stream.

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