OCU vs. Southwestern Oklahoma State men's basketball preview

Stars look to treat homecoming crowd to victory

Elijah Christman has contributed 6.5 points a game and 45.5 percent shooting from beyond the 3-point line this season.

Men's Basketball | 11/3/2017 11:42:00 AM

2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4
Abe Lemons Arena inside the Freede Center

STATS | VIDEO | AUDIO

THE MATCHUP
• Oklahoma City University will entertain Southwestern Oklahoma State in men's basketball as part of 2017 OCU homecoming festivities on campus
• There will be recognition of Oklahoma City capturing its first Directors' Cup trophy in 2016-17 at halftime
• Bring a canned food item for the annual OCU athletics Christmas food drive benefiting Skyline Urban Ministry. OCU student-athletes collected 22,293 food items in last year's drive. The Stars have supplied 92,320 food items to feed hungry people of the community over the past decade. The food drive ends Dec. 10
• Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for students and OCU students, faculty and staff get into all regular-season OCU home athletics events free with their ID
• When the Stars score 70 points, fans get a 2-for-1 combo coupon for Raising Cane's

ABOUT THE STARS
• The Stars (2-0) held off Langston 95-88 on Wednesday at C. Felton Gayles Gymnasium in Langston, Okla. Langston tied the game 71-71 with 4:05 left, but Samuel Williams answered with a follow shot to put OCU back on top
• Terence Bonhomme, a 6-foot senior from St. Martinsville, La., exploded for a career-best 38 points to go with six rebounds and two assists. Bonhomme established new single-game OCU records for free throws made and most free throws made while hitting all attempts by going 21-for-21 from the line. The previous marks were Shon Alexander's 17 free-throw makes vs. Alaska-Fairbanks on Nov. 18, 1995 and Kameron Gray went 16-for-16 from the free-throw line against John Brown (Ark.) on Jan. 26, 2008 in Siloam Springs, Ark. Bonhomme's previous best was 34 points against Mid-America Christian on Feb. 4, 2016 at Abe Lemons Arena. Bonhomme has posted 25.5 points and 5.5 rebounds a game in 2017-18
• Samuel Williams, a 6-8 senior from Reno, Nev., produced 14 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Williams adds 17.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Williams leads the NAIA with 5.5 offensive rebounds per game
• The Stars average 16.5 offensive rebounds as a team to rank fifth among NAIA Division I. To see how OCU compares statistically vs. the NAIA, click here
• OCU has been slotted at No. 12 in the preseason NAIA Division I rankings. Oklahoma City has made 23 NAIA Division I Tournament appearances and won six national championships in 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2007 and 2008
• The Stars have been picked to finish second place in the Sooner Athletic Conference according to the preseason coaches poll. OCU owns 12 SAC regular-season titles and nine SAC Tournament crowns
• Southwestern Oklahoma State leads the overall series against Oklahoma City 29-17. The last three meetings between the two teams have been exhibitions for the Stars with OCU prevailing 80-59 on Oct. 31, 2016 in Weatherford, Okla., in the most recent encounter. Lou Dunbar topped the Stars with 14 points. OCU slipped past Southwestern 67-64 on Nov. 11, 2008 at Abe Lemons Arena in the last contest in the series that counted for the Stars

ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
• Southwestern knocked off Mid-America Christian 83-77 on Tuesday night in Weatherford, Okla., in an exhibition
• Charles Beauregard Jr., a 6-3 junior, provided Southwestern with 21 points while sinking 4 of 7 3-pointers. Beauregard arrived at Southwestern from Seward County (Kan.) this season
• Devin Pugh, a 6-2 senior, is Southwestern's top returner after he averaged 13.1 points and 4.1 rebounds a game while shooting 40.1 percent from 3-point range. The Bulldogs had a 6-22 record last season
• Great American Conference coaches expect Southwestern to finish ninth in the 12-team league according to the conference's preseason poll

ABOUT THE COACHES
Vinay Patel (38-22, third season with OCU)
• Patel has guided two OCU all-Americans, including the Stars' first first-teamer since 2008; the 2017 Sooner Athletic Conference player of the year, the 2017 SAC co-defensive player of the year, a finalist for the Dark Horse Dunker competition, six all-conference performers and three academic all-SAC choices
• 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 the conference player of the year
• Patel spent nine years as assistant before serving as the head coach 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

Bob Battisti (56-57, fifth season with Southwestern)
• Has guided Southwestern to three seasons of at least 16 victories. Battisti's first Southwestern team finished second place in the Great American Conference after being picked to finish ninth in the preseason GAC poll in 2013-14
• Battisti has an overall coaching record of 465-353 in 28 seasons as a college coach. Battisti led Northwestern Oklahoma State to a 374-265 mark in 25 years with five NAIA Tournament appearances

ON THE AIR
• Oklahoma City University athletics provides live and on-demand audio, stats and video of its contests on OCU's Stretch portal. Cost to watch the game is $7.95 per game, $34.95 for a men's basketball season pass and $79.95 for an all-season pass in 2017-18
• Andrew Himes calls the action. Himes enters his seventh season as the voice of the Stars and has been broadcasting OCU basketball for 10 years starting on color commentary as an OCU student
• Fans can access regular-season broadcasts from NAIA institutions as well as from NAIA Championships postseason contests via Stretch Internet through custom apps on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV. Users can search for "NAIA" on the app interfaces on any compatible device, and then download the free NAIA Network app

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Players Mentioned

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

Players Mentioned

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

Players Mentioned

#5 Terence Bonhomme

Players Mentioned

#5 Terence Bonhomme