Women's Basketball 3/19/2012 8:57:00 AM

OCU vs. Lubbock Christian women's basketball preview

SAC regular-season co-champions collide in NAIA Division I Tournament semifinals

Tiffany Goldwire, a second-team all-Sooner Athletic Conference selection this season, has produced 10.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, a 55.7 field-goal percentage and five double-doubles this season.

NAIA Division I Tournament semifinals
5 p.m. CST Monday, March 19
Frankfort Convention Center in Frankfort, Ky.

THE MATCHUP: Top-ranked Oklahoma City University makes its 11th NAIA Division I Tournament semifinals appearance and third in four years, taking on Lubbock Christian (Texas).

ABOUT THE STARS: OCU knocked off ninth-ranked defending national champion Azusa Pacific (Calif.) 78-61 on Saturday in the quarterfinals. The Stars (33-1) hit 60.7 percent of their second-half shots from the field. OCU has made trips to the Fab Four in 1988, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010 and 2012.
Lauren Gober, a 6-foot-2 junior from Newcastle, Okla., topped OCU with 23 points, 11 rebounds and two steals. She nailed five 3-pointers and recorded her fourth double-double this season. Gober reached 1,000 career points on Jan. 28 and owns 1,180 points. Gober averages 12.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.47 steals a game this season.
Dietra Caldwell, a 5-8 senior from Missouri City, Texas, scored 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor. Caldwell, the SAC player of the year, posts 12.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.03 steals per contest. Nicollette Smith, a 6-2 senior from Tulsa, Okla., contributed 11 points, six rebounds and two steals off the bench. Smith puts together 10.6 points and 4.3 rebounds a game.
OCU ranks second in NAIA Division I in scoring offense (84.8 points per game) and third in scoring defense (52.2 points a game). The Stars rate in the top five in 13 statistical categories. To see where OCU stacks up statistically in the NAIA, click here.
The Stars hold the No. 1 ranking in the latest NAIA Division I poll. OCU owns national crowns from 1988, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 and national runner-up finishes in 2003, 2004 and 2005.
OCU leads the overall series vs. Lubbock Christian 36-8. OCU dealt Lubbock Christian its only loss during Sooner Athletic Conference play 60-51 on Feb. 11 in Lubbock, Texas as Rob Edmisson captured his 200th win as OCU coach. The two SAC foes have never met in national-tournament play.

ABOUT THE LADY CHAPS: Fifth-ranked Lubbock Christian rallied past Westmont (Calif.) 66-61 on Saturday. Lubbock Christian (28-5) took the lead for good as Brittany Roberts' 3-pointer gave her team a 52-49 edge with 5:41 left.
Roberts, a 5-7 senior, spearheaded the Lady Chaps with 19 points, four assists and three steals. Roberts averages 12.6 points, 3.9 assists and 1.70 steals a game. Kelsey Canavan, a 6-1 junior, had 16 points and 15 rebounds. Canavan, the SAC newcomer of the year, notches 16.7 points and 8.3 rebounds.

ABOUT THE COACHES: Rob Edmisson has posted a stellar 210-31 record in his seventh season at OCU and a 512-150 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 five 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.
Steve Gomez has guided the Lubbock Christian program to unprecedented heights with nine consecutive trips to the NAIA Tournament, a national runner-up finish in 2006 and a 203-91 record for the most wins of any Lubbock Christian women's basketball coach.

QUOTABLE: “We've played so many games where we get the lead. Sometimes you get back on our heels and you play on your heels instead of just putting the pedal down. We just have to get back to doing no matter what the scoreboard says, play hard.” – Edmisson

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.
Watch the Fab Four press conference by clicking here.
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?: Fans can watch the game in the Leichter Room above Abe Lemons Arena. Pizza and refreshments will be available.

ON THE AIR: The NAIA provides live stats and live video of the game.

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