Men's Basketball 3/1/2013 9:39:00 AM

OCU vs. Rogers State men's basketball preview

Stars advance to SAC Tournament semifinals for first time since 2008

Kaleb Smith chipped in 10 points, six rebounds and three steals Thursday as OCU improved to 6-1 when Smith scores in double digits.

Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals
8 p.m. Friday, March 1
Noble Complex in Shawnee, Okla.

THE MATCHUP: Oklahoma City University squares off against Rogers State in the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals.
OCU owns eight SAC Tournament championships won in 1994, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006 and 2008. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students.

ABOUT THE STARS: OCU surprised eighth-ranked Oklahoma Baptist 64-60 on Thursday at the Noble Complex in the tournament quarterfinals. The Stars (15-10) swiped 11 steals and scored 18 points off turnovers.
Charlton Jones, a 6-1 senior from Katy, Texas, led five double-figure OCU scorers with 13 points while collecting six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Jones and Jamil Donovan limited the Stars to five turnovers. Jones, a first-team all-league choice, averages 14.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.54 steals.
Terry Johnson, a 6-foot junior from Chicago, supplied OCU with 11 points, five rebounds and three steals. Johnson, an honorable-mention all-SAC performer, produces 15.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.56 steals a game. Troynell Adams, Kaleb Smith and Terrence Walker each contributed 10 points. Adams, a 6-4 senior from Chicago, posts 13.7 points and 4.5 rebounds a game. Adams became an all-SAC third teamer.
OCU ranks 14th in NAIA Division I in free-throw percentage (71.9 percent) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.094-to-1). Jones ranks seventh with 2.82 assists per turnover and leads the SAC in assists per game. To see how the Stars stack up against the rest of the NAIA, click here.
OCU had been predicted to finish fifth in the SAC by league coaches. OCU has won or shared the SAC regular-season championship 12 times in 1987, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2007 and 2008. OCU has won six national championships in 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2007 and 2008.
Rogers State leads the all-time series against OCU 8-4. The Stars clipped Rogers State 80-77 on Saturday in Claremore, Okla., as Jones banked in a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. See the final dramatic moments of that contest here. Jones scored 25 points to give OCU its first victory in the Claremore Expo Center since winning 83-81 on Dec. 1, 2007.

ABOUT THE HILLCATS: Rogers State ambushed Mid-America Christian 87-83 on Thursday in the tournament quarterfinals in Shawnee, Okla. Rogers State (21-10) erased a 74-67 Mid-America lead with 6:54 left in the game. Donald Williams hit four free throws to pull away from an 83-83 tie with 36 seconds left.
Robinson Odoch Opong, a 6-3 junior, propelled Rogers State with 23 points, seven rebounds and two steals off the bench. Opong averages 10.4 points per game. Williams, a 6-5 senior, had 20 points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals. Williams, a second-team all-SAC selection, scores 16.6 points a game.
Kendrell Thompson's 46.9 percent 3-point shooting percentage ranks second nationally. Rogers State ranks fifth in NAIA Division I with 260 3-pointers and a 39.3 percent 3-point shooting percentage.

ABOUT THE COACHES: Dionne Phelps has led the Stars to a 27-25 record in his second season as OCU coach. 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 four conference title teams as well as three NCAA Tournament teams during his 23-year coaching career. Phelps played for Texas Lutheran, eventually joining the Bulldog Athletic Hall of Fame.
Justin Barkley has a 66-31 record in his third season as Rogers State head coach. He previously served as assistant coach for two seasons at Rogers State. Barkley played on Northeastern State's 2003 NCAA Division II championship team and a state championship team at Inola (Okla.).

ABOUT THE SAC TOURNAMENT: The nation's premier NAIA basketball conference stages its postseason tournament at the Noble Complex in Shawnee, Okla., on Feb. 27-March 2. NAIA Division I Tournament berths will be at stake in the Sooner Athletic Conference men's and women's basketball tournaments. For information, visit the tournament page.

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 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. Get conference scores and highlights by calling the SAC Hotline at (405) 878-2110.

ON THE AIR: Fans can follow all the SAC Tournament games via live stats and video. To watch the game, click here. To follow the game on live stats, click here.

Print Friendly Version