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Oklahoma City University Athletics

Oklahoma City University
Home Of Champions|73 National Championships
Darrion Willies
Darrion Willies furnished the Stars with a career-high 12 points Friday.
70
Winner Oklahoma City University OCU 1-0
68
Southwest (N.M.) USW 1-1
Winner
Oklahoma City University OCU
1-0
70
Final
68
Southwest (N.M.) USW
1-1
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Oklahoma City University OCU 35 35 70
Southwest (N.M.) USW 28 40 68

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Stars clip University of Southwest 70-68

Cockrell supplies winning bucket with 26 seconds remaining

ESPANOLA, N.M. – Oklahoma City University narrowly escaped 70-68 against University of the Southwest (N.M.) on Friday at the Eagle Memorial Sportsplex in the Northern New Mexico Ohkay Owingeh Classic.
The Stars, receiving votes in NAIA Division I men's basketball, hit the game-winning basket with 26 seconds left and move to 1-0 overall. Senior A.J. Cockrell recorded the game-winner and led OCU with 14 points off the bench.
Forward Darrion Willies followed with 12 points in 30 minutes of action. Rashaun Coleman (11 points) and Kealon Clayborne (10) also finished in double figures for the Stars.
Oklahoma City handed Stan Holt the victory in his debut as OCU coach.
OCU went on an early 8-0 run, getting four points from Anthony Davis. The Mustangs put up the first points on a bucket from Joshua Harris with 15:33 to go in the first half.
Oklahoma City maintained the lead throughout the half, shooting 14-of-22 from the floor (63.6 percent) and 3-of-6 from the 3-point distance in the first half. The Stars led by as many as many as 10 in the period.
Elie Ghomsi hit a 3-point jumper at the 3:05 mark to spark a 7-0 run by OCU. Ghomsi capped the scoring with a layup to increase the Stars' lead to 35-26 with 1:58 to go in the half.
Southwest responded with a close bucket from Emmanuel McNeil to cut the OCU lead to 35-28 at the half.
The Mustangs committed seven turnovers in the first half, shooting 9-of-19 (47.4 percent) from the floor and 2-of-7 from behind the 3-point line in the first 20 minutes of action.
P.J. Grooms and Clayborne hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Stars back up nine in the second half, after Harris cut OCU's lead to three with a bucket at the 14:13 mark.
A 3-pointer from Rontrell Hills cut OCU's lead back to three with a 3-pointer at the 10:41 mark. The Stars could not extend their lead past five from this point forward.
Cockrell took over the game with six straight points for the Stars on two baskets and two free throws, before getting a breather at 7:33.
OCU maintained its lead until Hills hit a close basket in the middle of a 7-0 run to give the Mustangs a 58-57 lead with 7:13 to go.
Trailing by as many as four, Coleman regained the lead for OCU with a jumper at the 1:52 mark. Southwest's Harris came right back down to steal back the lead with a bucket of his own.
After an offensive foul on Harris, Willies connected on 1-of-2 from the line to tie it up at 68. Hills then missed a 3-pointer for Southwest before Cockrell put in the game-winner with 26 seconds remaining for the Stars.
OCU shot 47.6 percent from the field in the second half, while the Mustangs shot 50 percent during the period. The Stars outscored Southwest 37-25 in bench points on the night.
OCU will return to action against Northern New Mexico at 7 p.m. MDT (8 p.m. CDT) Saturday at Eagle Memorial Sportsplex.
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