Women's Basketball 2/28/2020 3:42:00 PM

OCU at Panhandle State women's basketball preview

Top-ranked Stars seeks fourth consecutive SAC regular-season championship

2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 29
Anchor D Arena | Goodwell, Okla.

THE MATCHUP
• No. 1-ranked Oklahoma City University sets out to cinch the Sooner Athletic Conference regular-season women's basketball championship and top seed in the upcoming SAC Tournament in its regular-season finale at Panhandle State
• The Stars would be the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament with either a victory or a Wayland Baptist (Texas) loss. Wayland Baptist could be the top seed with a win coupled with an OCU loss
• OCU can win the SAC regular-season championship outright with a win and a Wayland Baptist loss. The two teams would share the league regular-season title in the event both teams finish tied in the standings
• The two four seeds in the SAC Tournament host quarterfinal games 6 p.m. Tuesday

ABOUT THE STARS
• The Stars suffered their first loss of 2019-20 65-50 to Wayland Baptist on Thursday night in Plainview, Texas. Oklahoma City (27-1, 18-1 SAC) had been the last undefeated team in the NAIA
• Abby Selzer, a 6-foot-2 sophomore from Thomas, Okla., spearheaded the Stars with 14 points and seven rebounds. She logged a season-high 27 minutes. Selzer provides OCU with 17.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest with a 63.5 percent shooting percentage
• NaShyla Hammons, a 6-foot senior from Oklahoma City, picked up 11 points, three rebounds and two assists. Hammons averages 7.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.00 steal a game
• OCU tops NAIA Division I with an 80.0 percent free-throw percentage. Mallory Lockhart has downed a nation-leading 106 3-pointers to be tied with Kesha Watson's single-season program record Watson set in 2003-04. To see how the Stars rate among NAIA Division I statistically, click here
• Oklahoma City held the No. 1 ranking for the third consecutive NAIA Division I poll. The Stars collected all nine No. 1 votes and 219 points to hold the top spot for the 53rd instance all-time. Oklahoma City has been in the rankings for 260 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 238-23 (.912 winning percentage) within SAC play since 2007-08
• OCU owns a perfect record against Panhandle State in nine meetings
• The Stars stomped Panhandle State 75-57 on Nov. 21 in Oklahoma City. Taylor Sylvester rang up a career-best 20 points to go with six rebounds and three blocked shots

ABOUT THE AGGIES
• Panhandle State fell to Southwestern Christian 78-56 on Thursday in Goodwell, Okla. Panhandle (6-23, 0-19 SAC) led in the first quarter, but Southwestern Christian rallied
• Nadia Hayes, a 6-foot senior, had 18 points and eight rebounds. She sank 7 of 9 field-goal tries. Hayes averages 6.5 points and 4.1 per game
• The Aggies have hit 226 3-pointers to rank 19th nationally
• SAC coaches pegged Panhandle State to finish ninth in the SAC in 2019-20

MEET THE COACHES
Bo Overton (142-23, 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 164-70 mark (.701 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

Victor Esparza (34-52, third season with Panhandle State)
• Elevated to the head-coaching position after serving 2016-17 as assistant to Charles Terry
• Previously served as head basketball coach at Raton (N.M.) High School
• Panhandle State alum who spent seven years as assistant men's basketball coach and became head men's and women's cross country coach

ON THE AIR
• Panhandle State offers live video and stats of the game

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