OCU vs. Philander Smith men's basketball preview

Stars make last appearance before Christmas

Noel Allen sports a 61.3 percent field-goal percentage.

Men's Basketball | 12/21/2015 11:30:00 AM

2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 22
Abe Lemons Arena inside the Freede Center

THE MATCHUP: Oklahoma City University holds a special day contest against Philander Smith (Ark.).
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. If the Stars score 70 points, fans will get a prize from Raising Cane's. For the OCU athletics visitors guide, click here.

ABOUT THE STARS: OCU nudged past 20th-ranked Texas Wesleyan 72-67 on Dec. 8 at Abe Lemons Arena. The Stars (4-1, 2-0 Sooner Athletic Conference) improved to 2-0 against NAIA top-25 opponents this season.
Terence Bonhomme, a 6-foot sophomore from St. Martinsville, La., paced OCU with 22 points and five 3-pointers, which matched the career-best five treys he hit against Southwestern Christian on Dec. 5. Bonhomme hit 7 of his 12 shots from the floor. Bonhomme tallies a team-high 14.4 points a game and a 46.4 percent 3-point shooting percentage.
Lou Dunbar, a 6-3 sophomore from Seabrook, Texas, posted 13 points and three 3s. Dunbar chips in 13.8 points per contest while sinking 44.4 percent from beyond the 3-point line. Noel Allen, a 6-6 senior from Gutenberg, N.J., had 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field. Allen contributed to OCU's 24 bench points. Allen averages 9.2 points and 3.6 rebounds a game.
Opponents are shooting 28.2 percent from 3-point range against OCU as the Stars rank eighth in defensive 3-point shooting percentage. To see how OCU rank statistically in the NAIA, click here.
The Stars have been slotted to take sixth in the SAC according to the preseason coaches poll. Oklahoma City has won or shared the SAC regular-season championship 12 times, most recently in 2007-08. OCU owns six NAIA national championships won in 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2007 and 2008.
OCU holds a 2-0 lead in the all-time series against Philander Smith. OCU took a 98-78 win over Philander Smith on Nov. 11, 2006 at Abe Lemons Arena. Willie Irick paced the Stars with 22 points.

ABOUT THE PANTHERS: Philander Smith rallied past Columbia (Mo.) 72-69 on Saturday in Little Rock, Ark. Philander Smith (7-6) overcame a 69-65 deficit with 1:01 left. Rashad Brackeen had the tying bucket with 16 seconds left, then the winning free throws with one second to go.
Brackeen, a 6-foot junior, supplied Philander Smith with 17 points. Brackeen has provided Philander Smith with 17.3 points a game in four contests. Ronald March, a 6-5 senior, had 17 points, eight rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals, while Chris Ward, a 6-6 junior, had 17 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. March, a preseason all-conference choice, averages 26.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.00 blocks and 2.00 steals a game through five games.
Philander Smith ranks second in the NAIA by compiling 28.5 defensive rebounds a game. Gulf Coast Athletic Conference coaches forecasted that Philander Smith would finish second in the league.

ABOUT THE COACHES: Vinay Patel embarks on his first season as OCU head coach. He came to Oklahoma City after spending one season as Rogers State's assistant coach. He aided Rogers State to a 20-8 season led by conference player of the year Frederico Santos. Patel spent nine years as assistant at West Texas A&M. During that time, West Texas went to the NCAA Division II Tournament five times, won the Lone Star Conference championship and took two Lone Star South Division titles. He elevated to the interim head-coaching position before he ended his time at West Texas A&M.
Sam Weaver has directed Philander Smith to an 86-52 record in his fifth season as coach. Weaver has brought Philander Smith to the NAIA Division I Tournament three years in a row. Weaver also serves as the school's athletic director. Before being the head coach at Philander Smith, he served as head coach at Alcorn State and Henderson State (Ark.).

QUOTABLE: "It's a different style of play and new system for everybody, but the guys have done a great job of buying into that and taking a defensive mentality. I've had several coaches in our league who have seen us play comment on how hard our team plays and how good they are defensively." – Patel

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: OCU athletics has partnered with Stretch Internet to provide live and on-demand audio, stats and video of the Stars' games. Follow the game via live audio, stats and video by visiting OCU's Stretch portal by clicking here. Cost to watch the game is $7.95 per game, $29.95 to see all 2015-16 home games and $79.95 to watch all of OCU's action in every sport in 2015-16.
Andrew Himes calls the action. He is in his fifth season as the voice of the Stars. Himes has been broadcasting OCU games for eight years starting on color commentary as an OCU student.

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Players Mentioned

#5 Terence Bonhomme: G; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#22 Lou Dunbar: G; 6' 3"; Sophomore

#1 Noel Allen: F; 6' 6"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#5 Terence Bonhomme
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: G

#22 Lou Dunbar
: 6' 3"; Sophomore
: G

#1 Noel Allen
: 6' 6"; Senior
: F

Players Mentioned

#5 Terence Bonhomme

#22 Lou Dunbar

#1 Noel Allen

Players Mentioned

#5 Terence Bonhomme

#22 Lou Dunbar

#1 Noel Allen