Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Oklahoma City University Athletics

Oklahoma City University
Home Of Champions|73 National Championships
Lou Dunbar
Lou Dunbar accumulated 23.7 points a game during the SAC Tournament.
93
Winner USAO USAO 19-13
90
Oklahoma City OCU 21-10
Winner
USAO USAO
19-13
93
Final
90
Oklahoma City OCU
21-10
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
USAO USAO 42 51 93
Oklahoma City OCU 47 43 90

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

USAO tops OCU in SAC Tournament title game 93-90

Dunbar, Smith of Stars grab all-tournament honors

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University fell short in the Sooner Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament championship to USAO 93-90 on Saturday at Abe Lemons Arena.
Taran Buie's free throws kept USAO in front with four seconds left. OCU went to 21-10, while USAO (19-13) won its first SAC Tournament title.
The Stars will look for an at-large bid into the NAIA Division I Tournament. The NAIA Tournament bracket will be unveiled 8 p.m. CST Wednesday. Watch the selection show here.
"We have the third most wins in the league," OCU coach Vinay Patel said. "I've been told by everybody in our conference body of work over the course of the season is what gets you in. I think this is a team that deserves to keep playing. We did a great job throughout the season. Twenty-one wins is a tremendous basketball season for a team anytime you hit 20 wins. It's the first time we did it in nine years at OCU. It's something our kids need to be proud of. It's something I'm proud of for sure is this team getting to 20 wins and putting themselves in position to get an at-large."
USAO took the lead 83-82 on Imani Edward's free throws at the 2:02 mark. Oklahoma City kept pace as Syrus McDonald drove in for a layup with 24 seconds left that cut USAO's lead to 87-85.
Brendan Chapman hit free throws, then Elijah Christman stuck a putback that cut OCU's deficit to two points. Buie sank free throws with 11 seconds left, but Christman fired in a trey with seven seconds that sliced OCU's deficit to 91-90.
Jonathan Reed dropped in a jumper that put the Stars on top 71-56 midway through the second half. USAO stormed back into the game the final 11:30 of the game.
Lou Dunbar and Xavier Smith from OCU made the all-tournament team. Dunbar, a junior from Seabrook, Texas, topped the Stars with 26 points while nailing 7 of 9 3-point shots. Dunbar averaged 23.7 points per game while shooting 15-for-24 from beyond the 3-point arc during the tournament.
Smith, a senior from Richardson, Texas, totaled 15 points, 11 rebounds and six blocked shots for his 15th double-double of the season. Smith produced 12.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.67 rejections a contest during the SAC Tournament. Smith reached 81 blocks to set OCU's single-season record.
The Stars' Tyler Alderman, a senior from Fishers, Ind., added 14 points and three blocks on 7-for-10 shooting from the field.
"I can't complain when our kids play that hard," Patel said. "I thought the effort was there. You saw both teams go at it. That was a great battle for a championship game. We turned it over, and we didn't hit free throws. That's not a good recipe when you want to win a championship game."
OCU shot 67.9 percent the field in the first half. OCU finished 12-for-23 from the free-throw line.
Buie, the SAC Tournament most valuable player, provided USAO with 24 points and three steals. Imani Edwards of USAO also had 24 points and took an all-tournament berth.
"They're a tough team to defend," Patel said of USAO. "They have a really good team. They have three guards that are very hard to guard. When they're hard to defend, it makes the other guys around them even better."
 
Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament
MEN
At campus sites
Tuesday's Results
Quarterfinals
Texas Wesleyan 93, Mid-America Christian 60
USAO 100, Wayland Baptist 99, OT
Oklahoma City 87, Southwestern Christian 80, OT
Southwestern Assemblies of God 76, John Brown 66
At Abe Lemons Arena
Oklahoma City University
Friday's Results
Semifinals
USAO 80, Texas Wesleyan 68
Oklahoma City 68, Southwestern Assemblies of God 62
Saturday's Result
Championship
USAO 93, Oklahoma City 90
 
All-Tournament
Lou Dunbar, Oklahoma City; Imani Edwards, USAO; Xavier Smith, Oklahoma City; Josh Williams, Southwestern Assemblies of God; Najeal Young, Texas Wesleyan.
Most valuable player: Taran Buie, USAO.
Hustle award: Brendan Chapman, USAO.
Print Friendly Version