OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University dropped a 95-85 decision to Central Christian (Kan.) on Tuesday at Abe Lemons Arena.
Terence Bonhomme, Ridell Camidge and Lou Dunbar delivered 16 points each for the Stars. OCU, ranked 21st in NAIA Division I men's basketball, fell to 11-5, 4-4 in the Sooner Athletic Conference.
Camidge, a senior from Wilmington, N.C., collected eight rebounds and three 3-pointers, while Bonhomme, a senior from St. Martinville, La., picked up four rebounds and four assists for Oklahoma City. Dunbar, a senior from Seabrook, Texas, sank 5 of 7 3-point shots.
Samuel Williams, a senior from Reno, Nev., supplied OCU with 12 points and eight rebounds, and Eric McCollum, a junior from Newburgh, N.Y., notched his second double-double as a Star with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
OCU led by nine points in the first half. Walter Rickett pushed the Stars' lead to 30-21 midway through the first period with a free throw. Camidge downed a free-throw shot with 7:42 to go for a 35-26 OCU advantage.
Central Christian went ahead 42-41 on T.J. Williams' free throw with 1:28 showing in the first half. The Tigers (9-6, 3-5 SAC) hit 41 percent from the floor in the first half and upped that percentage to 50 percent in the second period.
"We came out aggressively," OCU coach Vinay Patel said about the Stars' defense. "We were taking shots away. All of a sudden they got hot from the 3-point line. That was the game in the first half. The first 10 minutes, we looked really good defensively. The second 10 minutes, we were very suspect defensively."
Jubril Osagie gave Central Christian a 77-64 lead with a lay-in at the 8:27 mark in the second half. OCU whittled its deficit to 81-78 on Bonhomme's 3-point play with 5:25 remaining. Central Christian answered with a 9-0 surge as Williams had six points during that run.
"You can look at Central Christian," Patel said. "They had 25 assists tonight. They did a great job of sharing the basketball, finding each other, getting into the paint and making the additional pass. They got better shots than we did."
The Stars face Wayland Baptist (Texas) at 7:45 p.m. Thursday at Abe Lemons Arena.