Men's Basketball 1/11/2014 11:07:00 PM

Stars fall 85-78 to St. Gregory’s

Hot shooting Cavaliers hold off upset-minded OCU

Terry Johnson scored 18 points against St Gregory's.

Box Score
SHAWNEE, Okla. – Oklahoma City University narrowly fell to St. Gregory's 85-78 Saturday at W.P. Wood Field House.
The Stars, now 7-5 overall and 3-2 in Sooner Athletic Conference play, saw their upset bid squashed by clutch shooting down the stretch from the 12th-ranked Cavaliers.
R.J. McGhee and Terry Johnson each poured in 18 points for the Stars, but Marty Wilkerson posted a game-high 28 points and Tilford Thornton hit 7-of-8 from 3-point range for 25 points to lead St. Gregory's over OCU.
"I felt like our focus was off and it really showed in the first half," OCU coach Dionne Phelps said. "But you have to figure out how to get through that. I thought we did that, but we didn't set the tone that needed to be set."
Both teams shot better than 50 percent from the field in a first half that featured five ties and 12 lead changes. The Stars fired 56 percent while the Cavaliers shot 54 percent.
The Stars closed the first half on a 9-2 run and took their largest lead of the game to that point at 44-41. Jamaal Crayton fueled the run with an old-fashioned 3-point play, and McGhee capped the run with a bucket to give OCU the three-point advantage at the break.
The teams continued trading buckets and the lead through much of the second half. McGhee scored in the paint and converted a free throw at the 10:41 mark to give OCU a four-point lead.
After Thornton buried a 3-point jumper to give St. Gregory's a five-point advantage with 7:38 left on the clock, OCU battled back. Johnson converted a pair of free and McGhee followed with a bucket to give The Stars a 66-65 lead at the 5:58 mark.
Thornton struck again with another 3-point jumper to give St. Gregory's the lead for good with 4:17 left.
The Cavaliers salted the game away at the free-throw line down the stretch and took the 85-78 victory.
Johnson added three assists and three rebounds to his 18 points. McGhee snared six boards and two steals to go along with his 18 points.
Ivan Matip and Terrence Walker each tallied 12 points and Crayton pitched in with 10 points, five rebounds and four assists for the Stars.
OCU will return to action against No. 2 Southwestern Assemblies of God (Texas) at 8 p.m. Monday in Waxahachie, Texas.

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