NAIA Division I National Championship
8 p.m. CDT Tuesday, March 19
Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark in Billings, Mont.
THE MATCHUP
• Oklahoma City University attempts to win its 10th NAIA Division I women's basketball championship in a matchup with Montana Western. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3
• Oklahoma City looks to win the 69th national title in all sports in school history
• The Stars has made the NAIA championship game for the 13th time in 25 national-tournament appearances
• OCU owns a 75-15 mark in NAIA Tournament play for the best all-time record in the tournament
• Come to the Leichter Room above Abe Lemons Arena to watch the game
ABOUT THE STARS
• OCU thumped Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) on Monday 85-70 in the NAIA's Fab Four. The Stars (33-4) was 33 for 38 in free throws for the game and 22 of 23 in the second half. OCU has won their tournament games by an average margin of six points, while the Stars' average margin of victory this season is 24.9 points per game
• Abby Selzer, a 6-foot-2 freshman from Thomas, Okla., propelled the Stars with 20 points, and eight rebounds, with a 10-for-12 shooting performance from the charity stripe. Selzer supplies OCU with 17.3 points and 6.8 rebounds a game while her 64.4 percent field-goal percentage leads the NAIA. During the tournament, she is averaging 17.3 points and 6.5 rebounds a game. Selzer has collected first-team Women's Basketball Coaches Association all-American acclaim, first-team all-Sooner Athletic Conference, SAC freshman of the year and all-tournament in the SAC Tournament
• NaShyla Hammons, a 6-foot junior from Oklahoma City, picked up 11 points and 17 rebounds. She has recorded two double-doubles past four games. Hammons puts together 5.8 points and 5.6 rebounds a game during the season. She has increased her output to 8.0 points and 9.8 rebounds per contest during the tournament
• The Stars' defense continues to bedevil teams into the lowest defensive field-goal percentage in NAIA Division I at 29.7 percent. Mallory Lockhart, a 5-7 freshman, ranks third in the naiton with 105 3-pointers made this season. To see how OCU ranks with the rest of the NAIA statistically, click here
• Oklahoma City went to 10th in the most recent NAIA Division I rankings. Oklahoma City extended the NAIA's longest streak of top-25 appearances to 253 consecutive rankings dating back to 1997-98. The Stars reached the NAIA Tournament for the 22nd consecutive year and for the 25th time overall. OCU has captured nine national championships in 1988, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2017
• The Stars notched their 13th 30-win season. Oklahoma City has collected 20 25-win seasons over the past 21 years. OCU owns a 648-86 mark for an .883 winning percentage since 1998-99
• Oklahoma City defeated Montana Western in the 2017 NAIA tournament 81-79 on a Daniela Galindo buzzer beater. Brooke Irwin provided OCU with 24 points, four rebounds and two blocked shots in the win
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
• Montana Western defeated Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) 78-71 in overtime on Monday at Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark. The Bulldogs (29-4) secured their first appearance in the NAIA Tournament championship
• Brianna King, a 5-5 senior, had 39 points and seven assists. She averages 22.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.15 assists and 2.70 steals per game. King ranks third in the NAIA in total scoring with 734 points and fourth in points per game
• Cierra Larney, a 5-10 senior, chipped in 14 points, 12 rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Larney averages 9.5 points, 5.6 rebounds. 1.82 assists and 1.2 steals a contest
• Montana Western, ranked fourth in the NAIA, rates fourth in the NAIA Division I with 31.3 defensive rebounds and 3-pointers made (284) a game with
MEET THE COACHES
Bo Overton (115-21, fourth season with OCU)
• Garnered his second John Hudson Sooner Athletic Conference coach of the year award in three years after leading Oklahoma City to its 19th SAC regular-season title. He earned the NAIA coach of the year after leading OCU to the 2017 national title
• Overton has coached four all-Americans while at OCU, including Daniela Wallen, the 2017 NAIA Division I player of the year, and Daniela Galindo, the 2018 WBCA NAIA player of the year
• Overton served as an assistant coach for the Chinese national team in the 2012 Olympics
• From 1998-2004, he served as assistant for Oklahoma. During that time, the Sooners made five NCAA Tournament trips with the 2002 NCAA runner-up finish and Final Four berth with three Big 12 regular-season titles and two conference tournament crowns
• He has an overall record coaching college women of 137-68, notching his 100th career win in a 78-53 victory at Southwestern Assemblies of God (Texas) on Feb. 23, 2018
Lindsay Woolley (134-88, seventh season with Montana Western)
• Guided Montana Western to the Frontier Conference regular-season championship this season
• Has taken the Bulldogs to three straight NAIA Tournament appearance and 11th overall, including their first championship game
• Owns 8-2 NAIA tournament record
ON THE AIR
• The NAIA provides live stats
• The game will be aired on ESPN3
