OCU in John Brown Classic women's basketball preview

Stars put two-game win streak on line

Allison Frey ranks 34th in the NAIA with 2.50 3-pointers made per game.

Women's Basketball | 11/19/2015 7:22:00 PM

6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20
vs. Philander Smith (Ark.)
1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21
vs. College of the Ozarks (Mo.)
Bill George Arena in Siloam Springs, Ark.

THE MATCHUP: Oklahoma City University tests itself against Philander Smith (Ark.) and College of the Ozarks (Mo.) in the John Brown Classic.

ABOUT THE STARS: Catherine Kruschke struck for a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to fuel Oklahoma City's 65-63 victory over Langston on Tuesday at Abe Lemons Arena. Kruschke delivered the winning points for the Stars (2-2) for the second game in a row.
Kruschke, a 6-foot senior from Dublin, Calif., posted her third consecutive double-double with 28 points and 12 rebounds. Kruschke ranks fifth in the NAIA in scoring average (21.7 points per game) and 11th nationally in rebounding (11.3).
Daniela Wallen, a 5-11 forward from Caracas, Venezuela, boosted the Stars with 21 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and four steals. She shot 9-for-12 from the field. Wallen accrues 22.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.67 steals per game. Markeisha Johnson, a 5-9 senior from Mansura, West Africa, had seven points, 14 rebounds and three steals. Johnson averages 9.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.33 thefts per game.
Wallen ranks third in the NAIA in scoring, while OCU ranks 13th at 31.3 defensive rebounds a contest. To see where the Stars rank statistically among the NAIA, click here.
The Stars held the No. 7 slot in the national rankings in the preseason. OCU has been ranked in the top 10 in every poll since March 11, 2009 and made the top 25 in all 188 polls since 1999-2000. OCU owns national championships from 1988, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2012, 2014 and 2015. SAC coaches expect the Stars to finish second in the league. OCU has won or shared the SAC regular-season crown 16 times, including the last six in a row.
OCU will face Philander Smith for the first time. The Stars knocked off College of the Ozarks 87-74 on Dec. 21, 2012 at Abe Lemons Arena in the lone meeting between the two schools in women's basketball.

ABOUT THE LADY PANTHERS: Philander Smith took a 65-49 win over Lane (Tenn.) on Tuesday in Little Rock, Ark. Philander Smith (5-1) won despite shooting 37.3 percent from the field.
Juquecia Chaney, a 5-4 senior, topped the Lady Panthers with 12 points and five rebounds. Chaney supplies Philander Smith with 17.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.00 steals per contest. Tamara Heard, a 5-9 senior, scored 11 points. Heard averages 9.5 points and 2.5 rebounds a game.
Philander Smith is ranked second in the NAIA in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (15.6 percent). Philander Smith has been picked to finish fifth among Gulf Coast Athletic Conference teams.

ABOUT THE LADY BOBCATS: College of the Ozarks toppled Friends (Kan.) 79-71 on Nov. 14 in Point Lookout, Mo. College of the Ozarks (6-1) owned advantages in rebounding (44-24) and second-chance points (19-6).
Brandy Uchtman, a 6-foot senior, led her team with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Uchtman piles up 12.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Madi Brethower, a 5-8 freshman, had 15 points and six rebounds. Brethower averages 7.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
College of the Ozarks came in at No. 8 in the NAIA Division II rankings. College of the Ozarks ranks 16th in total points among NAIA Division II.

ABOUT THE COACHES: Bo Overton is in his debut season with OCU. Overton has a wide array of coaching experience, establishing a reputation as a top talent evaluator and recruiter. He has head-coaching experience on the professional level in China, Russia and the WNBA, as well as college head-coaching experience with Missouri-Kansas City. Overton has been an assistant on the international level for the Bahamas and China, including the 2012 Olympics with the Chinese team. Overton is well known among Oklahomans for his stint as an assistant to Sherri Coale at Oklahoma from 1998-2004 as well as playing college basketball at Oklahoma.
Brandon Greenwood is in his fifth season with Philander Smith. This is Coach Greenwood's 11th year coaching college and elementary school basketball.
Becky Vest is entering her third year at the College of the Ozarks helm, tallying a 51-19 record over the past two seasons and providing the Lady Bobcats with an opportunity to compete in the NAIA Division II Tournament both years. Vest is an alumna of College of the Ozarks and John Brown (Ark.).

QUOTABLE: "It shows that the other players are doing their jobs. They're getting the ball up the floor. They're finding the player who's open. Everybody did a really good job tonight. We're getting better every day." – Overton on his team's cohesiveness

FOLLOW THE STARS: Fans can keep up on the latest from OCU athletics through several ways.
Check out OCU athletics on several social media platforms by looking up the handle @ocustars. The Stars are on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, and new for 2015-16, Instagram.
Fans can sign up to receive the latest OCU athletic headlines via e-mail by going here.
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: John Brown will provide fans the ability to follow the game via live stats and video by clicking here.

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Players Mentioned

#25 Markeisha Johnson: F; 5' 9"; Senior

#24 Catherine Kruschke: F; 6' 0"; Senior

#22 Daniela Wallen: F; 5' 11"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#25 Markeisha Johnson
: 5' 9"; Senior
: F

#24 Catherine Kruschke
: 6' 0"; Senior
: F

#22 Daniela Wallen
: 5' 11"; Junior
: F

Players Mentioned

#25 Markeisha Johnson

#24 Catherine Kruschke

#22 Daniela Wallen

Players Mentioned

#25 Markeisha Johnson

#24 Catherine Kruschke

#22 Daniela Wallen