Men's Basketball 3/5/2014 2:59:00 PM

OCU vs. Mid-America Christian men's basketball preview

Stars face Mid-America in postseason play for first time

Kaleb Smith averaged 9.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.00 steals a contest in two meetings with Mid-America Christian this season.

Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinals
4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 6
Noble Complex in Shawnee, Okla.

THE MATCHUP: Oklahoma City University opens defense of its 2013 Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament championship in a quarterfinal matchup with Mid-America Christian.
Tickets are $10 general admission and $5 for students.

ABOUT THE STARS: OCU fell 84-70 to Oklahoma Baptist on Saturday at Abe Lemons Arena. OCU (16-11, 12-8 in SAC play) allowed an opponent to shoot 50 percent from the field for the eighth time this season.
Terrence Walker, a 6-foot-8 senior from Jonesboro, Ark., reeled in 24 points, four rebounds and two steals. Walker hit 11 of 14 field-goal attempts, boosting his field-percentage to 59.9 percent, which ranks fifth in the NAIA. Walker picks up 11.4 points and 4.2 rebounds a game.
R.J. McGhee, a 6-6 senior from Baton Rouge, La., added 15 points, four rebounds and four assists. McGhee became a first-team all-SAC choice. He provides the Stars with 19.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.37 steals per game. Terence Bonhomme, a 6-foot freshman from St. Martinville, La., contributed 11 points and four rebounds. Bonhomme, who shared SAC freshman of the year acclaim, averages 6.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists a game.
OCU ranks 18th among the NAIA leaders in team free-throw percentage at 72.2 percent. 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. OCU owns nine SAC Tournament championships won in 1994, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008 and 2013. OCU has won national championships in 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2007 and 2008.
OCU leads the all-time series against Mid-America Christian 15-4. Mid-America won 99-91 on Feb. 27 at the Gaulke Activity Center. McGhee had 25 points and eight rebounds.

ABOUT THE EVANGELS: Mid-America Christian finished the regular season by winning a shootout with Southwestern Christian 112-94 on Saturday in Bethany, Okla. Mid-America (14-15, 8-11 SAC) tied for fourth in the SAC to secure its highest league finish since joining the conference in 2007.
Josh Minner, a 6-6 senior, led three Mid-America 20-point scorers with 23 points while pocketing five rebounds and two steals. Minner averages 9.1 points and 4.4 rebounds a game. Angelo Lewis, a 6-4 senior, had 22 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Lewis pours in 16.3 points and 6.1 rebounds.
Semar Farris, the SAC newcomer of the year, ranks third in the NAIA with 3.19 steals a game, while Mid-America Christian ranks sixth nationally with a 39.5 percent 3-point shooting percentage.

ABOUT THE COACHES: Dionne Phelps owns a record of 45-37 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.
Willie Holley is in his 41st season as head coach at Mid-America Christian. Holley has a career record of 785-512. He ranks second among active coaches in the NAIA in career victories. Holley has led MACU to four NCCAA Division II national championships.

ABOUT THE SAC TOURNAMENT: The nation's premier NAIA basketball conference stages its postseason tournament at the Noble Complex in Shawnee, Okla., on March 5-8. NAIA Division I Tournament berths will be at stake in the Sooner Athletic Conference men's and women's basketball tournaments.

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: Fans can follow each SAC Tournament game via live stats and video. The video is available for $10 per game and $50 for a tournament pass. Watch the games here or keep up with all the tournament games via live stats by clicking here.

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