OCU at Wayland Baptist men's basketball preview

Stars sit third place in league standings

8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11
Hutcherson Center in Plainview, Texas

THE MATCHUP: Oklahoma City University looks to stay in contention in the Sooner Athletic Conference in a road showdown with Wayland Baptist (Texas).

ABOUT THE STARS: Oklahoma City nudged past Southwestern Assemblies of God (Texas) 52-49 on Saturday in Waxahachie, Texas. The Stars (11-7, 8-4 SAC) erased an 11-point first-half deficit to improve to 6-1 in league road games this season.
Terence Bonhomme, a 6-foot sophomore from St. Martinsville, La., posted 15 points, three rebounds and two steals. Bonhomme turns in 17.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.89 steals a game while hitting 37.9 percent from 3-point range.
Dorion Gigger, a 6-5 junior from Oklahoma City, contributed nine points, eight rebounds and two steals. Gigger registers 10.6 points and 8.9 rebounds a game while shooting 56.1 percent from the field. Noel Allen, a 6-6 senior from Guttenberg, N.J., had six points and six rebounds. He averages 8.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per contest.
Bonhomme's 85.3 percent free-throw percentage ranks 11th nationally, while the Stars collect 34.2 defensive rebounds a game to rank 20th in the NAIA. To see how OCU ranks statistically in the NAIA, click here.
OCU moved up to 23rd in the rankings. 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. Oklahoma City owns six NAIA national championships won in 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2007 and 2008.
Oklahoma City has gone 42-13 vs. Wayland Baptist over the years. The Stars edged Wayland Baptist 70-67 on Jan. 28 at Abe Lemons Arena. OCU's Jonathan Reed stuffed a desperation 3-point shot by Robert Waters as time ran out to preserve the victory.

ABOUT THE PIONEERS: Wayland Baptist overwhelmed John Brown (Ark.) 97-65 on Saturday in Plainview, Texas. Wayland Baptist (14-9, 6-6 SAC) has scored 90 points or more 14 times this season. Wayland Baptist was held to less than 70 points for the second time this season Jan. 28 in Oklahoma City.
Marshall Nelson, a 6-2 sophomore, accrued 22 points and six 3-pointers against John Brown. Nelson puts together 10.4 points and 3.2 rebounds a game while shooting 41.1 percent from 3-point land. Anietie Jack, a 6-4 sophomore, had 14 points and seven rebounds. Jack averages 11.0 points and 4.6 rebounds a game.
Wayland Baptist snatches 10.96 steals per contest to rank second among the NAIA. Wayland tied with Mid-America Christian for second in the preseason conference predictions.

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.
Ty Harrelson is in his first season as the Pioneers head men's basketball coach. The Wayland Baptist alum graduated in 2003 and has spent the last 12 years playing and coaching abroad. Most recently, he helped guide the South West Slammers, a semi-professional Australian basketball team, to the playoffs as a player-head coach.

QUOTABLE: "Our effort and intensity in the first half was as good as I've seen it this year. We got help from a lot of people tonight and was able to come up with a huge one on the road." – Patel on the Stars' win Saturday

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Players Mentioned

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

#32 Dorion Gigger: F; 6' 5"; Junior

#2 Jonathan Ellis: G; 5' 7"; Sophomore

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

Players Mentioned

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

#32 Dorion Gigger
: 6' 5"; Junior
: F

#2 Jonathan Ellis
: 5' 7"; Sophomore
: G

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