OCU vs. Haskell men's basketball preview

Stars face Haskell for first time

Syrus McDonald records 9.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists a game.

Men's Basketball | 11/18/2016 1:51:00 PM

5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19
Abe Lemons Arena inside the Freede Center

THE MATCHUP: Oklahoma City University puts its unbeaten record on the line against Haskell (Kan.).
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.

ABOUT THE STARS: Oklahoma City cruised to a 99-77 victory over Dallas Christian on Wednesday at Abe Lemons Arena. OCU (2-0) compiled 50 points in the paint and 32 second-chance points.
Lou Dunbar, a 6-foot-3 junior from Seabrook, Texas, piled up 28 points, four rebounds, two steals and seven 3-pointers. Dunbar established a career best in scoring and equaled his career high in treys. Dunbar has provided OCU with 23.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.50 steals a game with 61.5 shooting from the field and 61.1 shooting from 3-point range.
Xavier Smith, a 6-9 senior from Richardson, Texas, added 16 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots. Smith picks up 16.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.50 blocks a contest. Tyler Alderman, a 6-9 senior from Fishers, Ind., and Terence Bonhomme, a 6-foot junior from St. Martinsville, La., each had 14 points. Bonhomme averages 10.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists a game.
OCU stands second in the NAIA in blocked shots (6.50) and offensive rebounds (22.0) per game. To see how the Stars compare to the rest of the NAIA statistically, click here.
The Stars held the 18th spot in the preseason poll. The Stars have been picked to take second in the SAC according to the preseason coaches' poll. Oklahoma City owns six NAIA national championships won in 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2007 and 2008.
OCU and Haskell will meet for the first time ever Saturday.

ABOUT THE INDIANS: Haskell notched its first win of the season 87-72 over Ottawa (Kan.) on Sunday in Leavenworth, Kan. Ottawa tied the game early in the second half, but Haskell (1-5) fought back.
Zach Bruns, a 5-11 junior, fueled Haskell with 22 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Bruns collects 12.7 points per game. George Hill, a 6-3 junior, had 22 points, five assists and six 3-pointers. Hill averages 14.3 points with 54.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Haskell is a part of the NAIA Division II independents.

ABOUT THE COACHES: Vinay Patel enters his second season as OCU head coach. In his first year, Oklahoma City finished 15-11 and tied for second in the Sooner Athletic conference. Before coming to OCU, he spent one season as Rogers State's assistant coach and aided the Hillcats 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.
Matthew Downing leads Haskell in his first season as head coach.

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, YouTube and 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, $34.95 to see all 2016-17 home basketball games and $79.95 to watch all of OCU's action in every sport in 2016-17.
Andrew Himes calls the action. Himes, in his sixth season as the voice of the Stars, has been broadcasting OCU games for nine years starting on color commentary as an OCU student.

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Players Mentioned

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

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

#4 Tyler Alderman: C; 6' 9"; Senior

#11 Xavier Smith: C; 6' 9"; Senior

Players Mentioned

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

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

#4 Tyler Alderman
: 6' 9"; Senior
: C

#11 Xavier Smith
: 6' 9"; Senior
: C