Women's Basketball 3/2/2012 11:16:00 AM

OCU vs. St. Gregory's women's basketball preview

No. 1-ranked Stars eye advancing to 12th SAC Tournament title game in 13 years

Kayla MacKenzie totaled nine points and four assists Thursday in the tournament quarterfinals. MacKenzie averages 7.9 points and 1.4 assists this season.

Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals
3 p.m. Friday, March 2
Bill George Arena in Siloam Springs, Ark.

THE MATCHUP: Top-ranked Oklahoma City University aims to continue its postseason march in a semifinal matchup with St. Gregory's.
OCU has won SAC Tournament crowns in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students.

ABOUT THE STARS: The Stars trounced John Brown (Ark.) 88-54 on Thursday in Siloam Springs, Ark. OCU (28-1) held John Brown to 25 percent shooting from the field in the second half.
Dietra Caldwell, a 5-foot-8 senior from Missouri City, Texas, sparked OCU with 19 points, six rebounds and three assists. She nailed five 3-pointers as OCU drained 14. Caldwell, the SAC player of the year, produces 12.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.14 steals a game.
Nicollette Smith, a 6-2 senior from Tulsa, Okla., provided 15 points while shooting 6-for-9 from the field and hitting three treys. Smith averages 10.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. Taylor Booze, a 5-6 senior from Duncanville, Texas, had 14 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Booze boosted her averages to 9.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.41 steals per game.
OCU leads NAIA Division I with a 33.9-point average victory margin and a 1.17 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 held the No. 1 ranking for the eighth time this season in the latest NAIA Division I poll, appearing in the top spot for the 43rd time since 1999-2000. Five-time national champion OCU has been in every national ranking since 1999-2000.
OCU has a 32-1 all-time record against St. Gregory's. The Stars rolled to an 85-43 victory over St. Gregory's on Feb. 22 in Shawnee, Okla. Booze topped OCU with 20 points and six assists.

ABOUT THE LADY CAVALIERS: St. Gregory's ousted Rogers State from the tournament 58-50 on Thursday at Bill George Arena. St. Gregory's (19-11) built a 44-31 rebounding advantage and forced Rogers State into 28 percent shooting from the field.
Leticia Silva, a 5-10 junior, turned in a 27-point, seven-rebound performance. Silva, a third-team all-SAC selection, spearheads St. Gregory's with 16.3 points and 6.1 rebounds a game. Brittany Joseph, a 5-11 junior, added nine points and seven rebounds. Joseph averages 5.9 points and 5.5 rebounds a game.
St. Gregory's ranks fourth in NAIA Division I with 5.03 blocked shots a contest.

ABOUT THE COACHES: Rob Edmisson has posted a stellar 204-31 record in his seventh season at OCU and a 506-150 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.
Kelly Archer has gone 37-81 in his fourth season as St. Gregory's head coach. Archer led Hillsdale Baptist to five National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association national titles prior to his arrival at St. Gregory's.

QUOTABLE: “We have so much speed, so much depth – this is a good bunch, a special bunch, but they're also humble enough to know that they can get beat on any night.” – Edmisson on the Stars

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.

ABOUT THE SAC TOURNAMENT: The nation's premier NAIA basketball conference stages its postseason tournament at Bill George Arena on March 1-3. NAIA Division I Tournament berths will be at stake in the Sooner Athletic Conference men's and women's basketball tournaments presented by Meisner Aircraft. For information, visit the tournament page.

ON THE AIR: JBU will provide live stats and video of each tournament game. JBU offers video at $7.95 per game and $24.95 for a tournament pass.
To watch the game, click here. Follow the game via live stats by clicking here. Keep up with all the tournament games via live stats by clicking here.

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