OCU vs. USAO women's basketball preview

Stars pay tribute to their seniors

Shamika Smith handed out six assists Thursday night.

Women's Basketball | 2/21/2020 2:07:00 PM

2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22
Abe Lemons Arena inside Freede Center

THE MATCHUP
• No. 1-ranked Oklahoma City University looks to tighten its grip on the top of the Sooner Athletic Conference standings in a matchup with USAO
• The Stars hold a 1½-game lead on Wayland Baptist (Texas) with three games remaining
• OCU will laud the accomplishments of its senior class
• Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for students, and OCU students, faculty and staff get into all regular-season OCU home athletics events free with their ID
• When the Stars score 70 points, fans get a 2-for-1 combo coupon for Raising Cane's

ABOUT THE STARS
• The Stars crushed Mid-America Christian 88-51 on Thursday night at the Gaulke Activity Center in Oklahoma City. OCU (26-0, 17-0 SAC) shot a season-best 60 percent from the field
• Abby Selzer, a 6-foot-2 sophomore from Thomas, Okla., propelled OCU with 23 points and 11 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season. She hit 10 of 13 field-goal attempts. Selzer collects 18.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game with a 64.3 percent field-goal percentage
• Brennyn Seagler, a 5-11 senior from Gruver, Texas, accumulated 16 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Her four treys and assist total were season highs. Seagler averages 10.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.30 steals a game
• Taylor Sylvester, a 6-5 senior from Chickasha, Okla., matched the OCU single-game record with seven blocked shots. Sylvester has notched seven rejections twice before Thursday night on Jan. 29, 2019 vs. Mid-America Christian and Nov. 16, 2018 against Philander Smith (Ark.)
• OCU leads the nation with an 80.3 percent free-throw percentage while ranking second in 3-point shooting (38 percent) abd defensive field-goal percentage (31.9 percent). Mallory Lockhart leads NAIA Division I with 104 3-pointers, two shy of Kesha Watson's single-season program record of 106 in 2003-04. To see how the Stars rate among NAIA Division I statistically, click here
• Oklahoma City retained the top ranking unanimously in the newest NAIA Division I poll. The Stars collected all nine No. 1 votes and 219 points to hold the top spot for the 52nd instance all-time. Oklahoma City has been in the rankings for 259 polls in a row dating back to 1997-98 to lead NAIA Division I. OCU has made 25 trips, including 22 consecutive appearances, to the NAIA Division I Tournament and captured nine national championships in 1988, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2017
• The Stars tied for first in the SAC preseason coaches poll. Oklahoma City took its 19th SAC regular-season championship last season. OCU has won or shared nine of the last 10 league titles, going 237-22 (.915 winning percentage) within SAC play since 2007-08
• OCU leads the all-time series against USAO 58-4
• The Stars grabbed an 82-74 win over USAO on Jan. 23 in Chickasha, Okla. OCU led wire-to-wire. Seagler had 16 points and 11 rebounds

ABOUT THE DROVERS
• USAO rolled to an 81-63 win against Southwestern Christian on Thursday in Chickasha, Okla. The Drovers (18-8, 12-5 SAC) own a four-game win streak
• Ndeye Khady Sene, a 6-3 junior, had 20 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks. She recorded her eighth double-double this season. Sene averages 10.7 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.19 blocks a game
• The Drovers accumulate 5.89 blocked shots a game 153 blocks this season to rank second nationally in both categories
• USAO drew the third spot in the preseason SAC poll

MEET THE COACHES
Bo Overton (141-22, fifth season with OCU)
• Led Stars to a 33-5 season with the SAC regular-season crown and an NAIA DI tournament championship trip in 2018-19
• Overton has coached four all-Americans while at OCU, including Daniela Wallen, the 2017 NAIA DI 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 Olympic games
• From 1998-2004, Overton served as an assistant for Oklahoma. The Sooners made five NCAA Tournament appearances during that time, with a 2002 NCAA runner-up finish and Final Four berth. He also earned three Big 12 regular-season titles and two conference tournament championships throughout his six years
• Overton collected his 150th career win coaching women's college basketball 85-70 over Southwestern Assemblies of God on Jan. 11 in Waxahachie, Texas. He has a 163-69 mark (.703 winning percentage) in seven years as a head women's basketball coach
• Overton landed his first ever whoopdirt.com coach of the week honor during the week of Jan. 13-19

Darrick Matthews (85-61, fifth season with USAO)
• Collected 2018 John Hudson SAC coach of the year after directing USAO to a 29-6 record and its first SAC regular-season title, sharing the conference crown with OCU
• Overall head-coaching record stands at 103-80 including one season at Southwestern Christian, where he led the Lady Eagles to a fourth-place finish in the 2015 National Christian College Athletic Association Division I Tournament
• Began his college playing career at Oklahoma Christian, then transferred to the University of the Southwest (N.M.), where he became an all-conference performer playing for Quinn Wooldridge, who would eventually become an OCU assistant. Matthews completed his college career at McMurry (Texas)

ON THE AIR
• Oklahoma City University athletics provides live and on-demand audio, stats and video of its contests on OCU's Stretch portal. Cost to watch the game is $7.95 per game, $29.95 for a women's basketball season pass and $79.95 for an all-season pass in 2019-20
• Andrew Himes calls the action. Himes enters his ninth season as the voice of the Stars and has been broadcasting OCU basketball for 12 years starting on color commentary as an OCU student
• Fans can access regular-season broadcasts from NAIA institutions as well as from NAIA Championships postseason contests via Stretch Internet through custom apps on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV. Users can search for "NAIA" on the app interfaces on any compatible device, and then download the free NAIA Network app

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Players Mentioned

#5 Daniela Galindo: G; 5' 11"; Senior

#5 Mallory Lockhart: G; 5' 8"; Sophomore

#34 Brennyn Seagler: F; 5' 11"; Senior

#40 Abby Selzer: C; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#33 Taylor Sylvester: C; 6' 5"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#5 Daniela Galindo
: 5' 11"; Senior
: G

#5 Mallory Lockhart
: 5' 8"; Sophomore
: G

#34 Brennyn Seagler
: 5' 11"; Senior
: F

#40 Abby Selzer
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: C

#33 Taylor Sylvester
: 6' 5"; Senior
: C