Men's Basketball 2/19/2014 4:45:00 PM

OCU vs. USAO men's basketball preview

Stars aim to avenge loss Jan. 25 in Chickasha, Okla.

Terrence Walker chips in 10.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20
Abe Lemons Arena inside the Freede Center

THE MATCHUP: Oklahoma City University hosts USAO with the Sooner Athletic Conference men's basketball race heating up.
Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students, while OCU students, faculty and staff are allowed into all regular-season OCU athletics events for free with their ID. For the OCU athletics visitors guide, click here.

ABOUT THE STARS: The Stars upended 23rd-ranked St. Gregory's 92-83 on Tuesday at Abe Lemons Arena. OCU (14-9, 10-6 in SAC play) picked up its third win of the season against a ranked opponent.
R.J. McGhee, a 6-foot-6 senior from Baton Rouge, La., posted 30 points, nine rebounds and three assists vs. St. Gregory's. He canned a season-high five 3-pointers in reaching 30 points for the second time this season. McGhee puts together 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.31 steals per game.
Terry Johnson, a 6-foot senior from Chicago, collected 17 points, six rebounds and three assists. He made his first start since Jan. 25 at USAO and had his highest scoring total since 23 vs. Mid-America Christian on Jan. 18. Johnson provides the Stars 15.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Jamaal Crayton, a 6-3 senior from Augusta, Ga., added 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. Crayton contributes 10.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists a game.
OCU hits 71.6 percent of its free-throw attempts as a team to rank 21st among NAIA Division I. To see how the Stars stack up statistically with the rest of the NAIA, click here.
The Stars received votes in the latest NAIA Division I rankings. The Stars were picked to finish fourth in the SAC in the preseason coaches' poll. OCU has won national championships in 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2007 and 2008.
OCU has a 31-17 record vs. USAO. USAO slipped past the Stars 71-70 on Jan. 25 in Chickasha, Okla. McGhee ramrodded OCU with 21 points. Jahseth Lloyd sank the clinching free throws with two seconds left, making Johnson's trey as time expired moot.

ABOUT THE DROVERS: USAO dropped an 88-76 decision to John Brown (Ark.) on Saturday in Chickasha, Okla. USAO fell to 11-12, 8-8 in league play in a contest that was tied 10 times and where the lead changed 14 times.
Shavon Scott, a 6-3 senior, tallied 28 points, five rebounds and two steals. Scott nailed four 3s. Scott averages 13.7 points and 4.7 rebounds a game. Kennis White, a 6-4 senior, had 15 points, six rebounds and two steals. White supplies USAO with 10.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
The Drovers average 8.04 3-pointers per game to rank 15th in the NAIA. League coaches ticketed USAO to take eighth in the SAC.

ABOUT THE COACHES: Dionne Phelps owns a record of 43-35 in 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 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.
Vinson Metcalf took over as USAO head coach after spending 15 seasons as Brisco McPherson's assistant. Metcalf was on the bench when USAO captured the 2002 national championship. McPherson stepped down as head coach last season to concentrate on his athletic director's duties.

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.

ON THE AIR: OCU athletics has partnered with Stretch Internet to provide live and on-demand audio, stats and video of the Stars' games. Andrew Himes will call the game. To follow the game via live audio, stats or video, visit OCU's Stretch portal by clicking here.
The live audio and stats will be provided free of charge, while the cost to see the video will be $7.95. A men's basketball season pass that allows you to see all the Stars' 2013-14 home games costs $29.95, while a 2013-14 all-sports pass costs $79.95.

Print Friendly Version