Men's Basketball 11/2/2013 5:27:00 PM

OCU pounds Champion Baptist 88-46

Stars force 25 turnovers, win season opener by 42 points

Terry Johnson scored 13 points against Champion Baptist.

Box Score
OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University picked up an 88-46 victory over Champion Baptist (Ark.) in its season opener Saturday at Abe Lemons Arena.
The Stars had four players score in double digits and forced 25 Champion Baptist turnovers while holding the Tigers to 36 percent shoot from the field to start the season at 1-0.
"I was concerned because we played last night, and I didn't really know what to expect," OCU coach Dionne Phelps said. "We didn't press or get out in the open floor early because we didn't know who much the team had left, but it was a good win especially coming off of North Texas last night."
A three-point jumper from Jamaal Crayton and a fastbreak dunk from Kaleb Smith kick started the Stars' offense in the first two minutes of the period.
The teams traded buckets for much of the first half and OCU led by as many as six points on three different occasions.
At the 7:05 mark of the first half, Terence Bonhomme forced a turnover and scored in transition to spark the Stars on an 8-0 run. Crayton hit from 3-point distance and Jamil Donovan buried a jumper in transition to stake OCU to an 11-point advantage with 4:38 remaining in the half.
Terry Johnson scored six points in the final three minutes of the period and helped OCU take a 40-29 lead to the locker room at halftime.
The Stars generated 14 points off turnovers and scored 22 points in the paint in the first half.
OCU picked up the defensive pressure after the break and forced five of its 16 second-half turnovers in the first five minutes of the period.
Smith picked up a steal and a transition dunk to start a 12-2 run for the Stars. Chris Campbell hit a 3-pointer and Dema Sane added a fastbreak slam to cap the run and give OCU a 53-31 advantage with 14:55 left on the clock.
At the 11:27 mark, Dorion Gigger scored in the paint and OCU embarked on a 14-0 run. Smith fueled the run with six points and the Stars held a 71-35 lead with 7:09 to go in the game.
OCU converted 15-of-19 from the free-throw line in the second half to maintain its double-digit lead and cruise to the 88-46 victory.
The Stars scored 50 points in the paint and 34 points off turnovers on the day. OCU's bench outscored the Tigers second unit 37-11.
Smith led the Stars with 15 points, four rebounds and three steals against Champion Baptist. Terrence Walker followed with 14 points and eight rebounds, and Johnson pitched in with 13 points. Campbell added 10 points and six rebounds off the bench.
OCU will return to action against Langston at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Abe Lemons Arena.

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