The Stars own a half-game lead for first place in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings.

Men's Basketball 2/12/2018 12:12:00 PM

OCU at Central Christian men’s basketball preview

Stars wrap up three-game road trip against Central Christian

8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13
Dr. Jerry E. Alexander Arena in McPherson, Kan.

THE MATCHUP
• Oklahoma City University looks to bounce back with a road victory over Central Christian (Kan.) after its seven-game winning streak was snapped on Saturday
• Tuesday's contest will be the second-ever meeting between the two schools in men's basketball, as the Tigers are in their first year with the Sooner Athletic Conference
• The Stars hold a half-game lead for first place over Southwestern Assemblies of God (Texas) and Texas Wesleyan in the league standings

ABOUT THE STARS
• Oklahoma City saw its seven-game winning streak come to an end as the Stars missed a potential game-winning three at the buzzer and fell to No. 20 Wayland Baptist (Texas) 80-78 Saturday in Plainview, Texas. OCU (18-6, 11-5 SAC) was held to 29.2 percent from beyond the arc and outscored in the paint 38-24
• Samuel Williams, a 6-foot-8 senior from Reno, Nev., notched his sixth double-double of the season in Saturday's loss, finishing with 21 points and 10 boards. He averages 16.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, including 3.09 offensive rebounds per game – the 11th-best average in NAIA Division I
• Jonathan Ellis, a 5-7 senior from Powder Springs, Ga., had 13 points and three assists against WBU. Ellis has scored in double figures in three of the last four games and owns the 13th-highest assist/turnover ratio in Division I at 2.92-1
• Among the NAIA Division I, the Stars rank eighth in scoring offense per game (91.7), 14th in overall field goal percentage (49.0) and 16th in free throw percentage (73.5). To see how OCU stacks up against the NAIA in other categories, click here
• The Stars climbed to 15th in the latest 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
• Oklahoma City lost the first matchup against Central Christian 95-85 on Jan. 16 at Abe Lemons Arena. Terence Bonhomme, Ridell Camidge and Lou Dunbar delivered 16 points each for the Stars

ABOUT THE TIGERS
• Central Christian comes off a 103-77 victory over Oklahoma Panhandle State Saturday in Goodwell, Okla. The Tigers' (13-11, 6-10 SAC) win was the first time they had tallied at least 100 points in league play and was their largest margin of victory against an SAC opponent (26) this season
• Jubril Osagie, a 6-foot-8 junior from Houston, leads the Tigers in scoring and rebounding with 15.6 points and 8.2 boards a game. Osagie ranks second in NAIA Division I in offensive rebounds per game with 3.8
• Among the NAIA Division I, Central Christian ranks eighth in defensive field goal percentage (40.0) and ninth in both offensive rebounds per game (13.5) and total rebounds per game (42.7). To see how the Tigers stack up against the NAIA in other categories, click here
• Central Christian is in its first year as a member of the Sooner Athletic Conference. The Tigers were picked to finish 10th in the league according to the preseason coaches poll

MEET THE COACHES
Vinay Patel (54-28, third season with OCU)
• Patel collected his second HoopDirt.com coach of the week honor for Dec. 4-10
• 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

Tony Romero (150-99, eighth season with CCC)
• Romero and his staff guided the Tiger's to 135 wins in the last seven seasons, including wins over nationally ranked teams and sightings in the NAIA national rankings 4 out of 7 of those years
• He was a four-year starter for the Tigers and during his playing career at CCC, he was voted "Newcomer of the Year," was a team captain three years in a row and was voted All-Conference MCAC player his senior season.
• Romero also earned records on the court as one of Central's career leader in points, three point field goals made and free throws made

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Players Mentioned

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

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

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

#23 Samuel Williams: F; 6' 8"; Senior

#3 Ridell Camidge: F; 6' 4"; Senior

Players Mentioned

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

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

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

#23 Samuel Williams
: 6' 8"; Senior
: F

#3 Ridell Camidge
: 6' 4"; Senior
: F