OKLAHOMA CITY - The Oklahoma City Stars men's basketball team battled closely with Central Christian tying the game seven times during the match-up. It wasn't until the eight-and-a-half-minute mark that the Tigers were able to pull away from the Stars and earn a 68-61 win on Saturday afternoon. 

Oklahoma City (2-6, 0-3) began the game neck and neck with the Tigers but were able to pull away at the hands of a pair of free throws from Stars big Jack McWilliams and a steal along with a made three-pointer by senior forward Brandon Jackson to put the stars up 14-9 at the 13-minute mark in the first half.

The Tigers put together a fierce defensive front by holding the Stars to just 16 points for five minutes towards the end of the first half. Not to be discouraged, the Stars found their footing on the offensive end, leading the way 27-26 to end the first half. 

Out of the half time break, the Stars came out strong offensively taking a 35-28 lead against the Tigers at the 16-minute mark. Ten minutes to go, the Tigers made a run of their own going up 46-40 on after an 18-5 run led Chris Whitten who had the hot hand. The Tigers continued to maintain the lead for the rest of the second half, defeating the Stars 68-61 at the end of regulation. 

Avery Jackson led the way in the scoring column for Oklahoma City with 16 points on 5-14 shooting from the field, 5-6 from the foul line to go along with six rebounds. Brandon Jackson finished right behind Avery Jackson with 15 points on 5-13 shooting from the field and eight rebounds, finishing second in the rebounding column behind Parker Jones who finished with 13 rebounds. 

The Tigers were led by sophomore guard Chris Whitten, who finished with 21 points on 8-16 shooting, going 4-9 from three-point range. 

The Tigers won their first game against the Stars since Jan. 23, 2021, snapping a five-game losing streak against OCU. However, despite the loss, OCU still holds a 10-3 overall advantage against the Central Christian.

Oklahoma City will be back in action continuing its home stand against #10 Wayland Baptist inside Abe Lemons Arena on Dec. 7 at 7:45 PM.