Men's Basketball 11/26/2013 4:28:00 PM

OCU in Central Oklahoma Classic men's basketball preview

Kaleb Smith is averaging 9.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game for the Stars.

5:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 29
vs. Oklahoma Christian
4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30
at Central Oklahoma
Hamilton Field House in Edmond, Okla.

THE MATCHUP: Oklahoma City University will look to shake off the Thanksgiving food coma with a pair of games against local rivals Oklahoma Christian and Central Oklahoma in the Central Oklahoma Classic.

ABOUT THE STARS: OCU, now 2-2 on the season, led by as many as five points against Midwestern State (Texas) Monday, but fell 72-61 to the sixth-ranked squad in NCAA Division II.
Terence Bonhomme, of St. Martinville, La., led the OCU charge with a game-high 15 points and team-high four assists in 35 minutes of action. The freshman guard went 2-for-3 from behind the 3-point line and 5-for-6 from the free-throw line against the Mustangs. Bonhomme averages 7.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 16.0 minutes per contest.
Senior Jamaal Crayton, of Augusta, Ga., added 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds against Midwestern State. The 6-foot-3 guard scored seven of the Stars first 11 points against the Mustangs. Crayton averages 9.5 points per contest and leads the team with 5.6 rebounds per game.
Terrence Walker, a senior from Jonesboro, Ark., chipped in with eight points and three rebounds in the 72-61 loss. The 6-foor-8 center added a game-high four blocked shots against Midwestern State. Walker averages 9.8 points on 57 percent shooting, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per outing.
OCU ranks fourth in NAIA Division I men's basketball in blocks per game (5.0) and 12th in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 39 percent from the floor.
The Stars received votes in the NAIA Division I preseason coaches' poll and have been projected to finish fourth in the Sooner Athletic Conference by league coaches. OCU owns six NAIA national championships won in 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2007 and 2008.
OCU owns a 47-20 lead in the all-times series against Oklahoma Christian. In their last meeting, the Eagles edged the Stars 64-63 in overtime at Abe Lemons Arena on Jan. 26, 2012.
The Stars lead the all-time series with Central Oklahoma 25-21. The Bronchos narrowed the gap with a 93-78 victory over OCU at Abe Lemons Arena on Nov. 14.

ABOUT THE EAGLES: Oklahoma Christian fell 72-58 to Central Oklahoma on Nov. 19 at the Eagles Nest in Oklahoma City. The loss moved the Eagles to 3-1 on the season.
Kendre Tally led the Eagles with 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals against Central Oklahoma. The senior guard leads Oklahoma Christian with 23.5 points, 7.5 assists and 7.3 rebounds per contest. Tally leads the Heartland Conference in scoring and assists.
Willie Harper also netted 15 points while grabbing four boards against the Bronchos. The junior guard averages 19.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
Nick Tate added eight rebounds and seven points in the contest. The junior guard averages 14.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per outing.
The Eagles are currently ranked No. 2 in the National Christian College Athletic Association preseason rankings.

ABOUT THE BRONCHOS: Central Oklahoma outlasted USAO 76-75 Monday at Hamilton Field House. The Bronchos improved to 4-1 with the win.
Aaron Anderson led all led all scorers with 18 points and eight rebounds against the Drovers. The sophomore guard averages 10.8 points, 2.6 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game.
Josh Gibbs snared a game-high 21 rebounds to go with his 15 points against USAO. The senior forward leads Central Oklahoma with 19.6 points and 15.8 rebounds per game. Gibbs leads the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association in rebounding.
Jarrod McDaniel added 14 points and four assists off the bench. The senior guard averages 11.2 points, 6.8 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game.
Central Oklahoma has been slated to finish fifth in the MIAA preseason coaches' poll and sixth in the media poll.

ABOUT THE COACHES: Dionne Phelps owns a record of 31-26 his third season as OCU coach. He led the Stars to the SAC Tournament title and an NAIA Division I Tournament appearance in 2012-13. Phelps took over the Stars after serving as assistant coach for Oklahoma, which featured future No. 1 NBA Draft pick Blake Griffin during his tenure. Phelps has been a part of five conference title teams as well as three NCAA Tournament teams during his 24-year coaching career. Phelps played for Texas Lutheran, eventually joining the Bulldog Athletic Hall of Fame.
Dan Hays has guided Oklahoma Christian to a 630-344 record in his 31st season as the Eagles' head coach. Hays, an NAIA hall of Famer, led the Eagles to seven SAC championships and nine NAIA Division I Tournament appearances before Oklahoma Christian's departure for NCAA Division II. His overall college coaching record stands at 701-412.
Terry Evans enters his 12th season as the Bronchos' head man. Evans owns a record of 223-104 and has led Central Oklahoma to seven NCAA Division II national tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 and an Elite Eight appearance. As a player, Evans is the all-time leader in 3-point field goals and assists at Oklahoma.

FOLLOW THE STARS: Fans can keep up on the latest on OCU athletics through several ways.
Help OCU win an NAIA contest and gain more followers on social media in 2013-14. 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 or see our video channel in the upper right-hand corner of our home page.
Know when the game is happening by calling the OCU athletics hotline at (405) 208-5400.

ON THE AIR: Central Oklahoma will provide live stats for every game in the Central Oklahoma Classic. Live video will be available when the Stars take on the Bronchos at 4 p.m. Saturday. To access live stats, click here. For live video, click here.

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