7:45 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9
The Pit at Redlands | El Reno, Okla.
THE MATCHUP
• Oklahoma City University aims to derail Wayland Baptist (Texas) in the Sooner Athletic Conference men's basketball contest of the week
• The game matches two of the top four teams in the SAC standings. Wayland Baptist holds the second spot, while Oklahoma City sits fourth in the conference standings
• Fans will be allowed into the game free of charge
ABOUT THE STARS
• OCU came from behind to secure a 59-56 victory over North Texas Dallas on Monday in Dallas. The Stars (12-11, 10-7 SAC) overcame a 14-point deficit, taking the lead for good using Brandon Jackson's layup with 1:51 left, moving ahead 56-54
• Jackson, a 6-foot-6 junior majoring in human performance from Westmont, Calif., propelled Oklahoma City with 19 points and seven rebounds. Jackson had two baskets in the final 3:31. Jackson compiles 14.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.43 steals a game in 2022-23
• Dravon Clayborn and Kori Guest each supplied the Stars with 11 points and nine rebounds. Clayborn, a 6-2 senior business administration major from Evanston, Ill., added four assists and two steals. Clayborn hit a pair of free throws to finish a 10-0 run that put Oklahoma City in front 51-49 with 5:54 remaining. Clayborn provides OCU with 11.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.57 thefts per contest this season
• OCU ranks 23th in the NAIA hitting 15.2 free throws a game in 2022-23
• The Stars came in seventh in the preseason SAC coaches poll. OCU owns 13 SAC regular-season championships and 10 SAC Tournament titles. Oklahoma City has advanced to the NAIA Division I Championship Tournament 25 times all-time and has won six national championships in 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2007 and 2008
• On Jan. 7, Oklahoma City ended a nine-game losing streak in Plainview, Texas, with an 88-82 win. The Stars notched their first win at the Hutcherson Center since a 74-51 win Feb. 9, 2012. Guest came through with a career-high 31 points while nailing seven 3-pointers. OCU owns a 46-24 advantage in the all-time series
ABOUT THE PIONEERS
• Wayland Baptist upended Langston, ranked third in the NAIA, 90-80 on Saturday in Plainview, Texas. The Pioneers (18-6, 13-5 SAC) collected their eighth consecutive victory while snapping Langston's six-game win streak. Wayland Baptist handed its coach Clint Galyean his 100th career win
• R.J. Mason, a 6-foot senior, had 21 points and three assists while shooting 10-for-11 from the foul line. He averages 12.8 points, 3.0 assists and 1.35 steals a game
• The Pioneers have averaged 87.5 points per game to rank seventh nationally
• League coaches installed Wayland Baptist as the favorite to win the SAC in the preseason
ABOUT THE COACHES
Mark Berokoff (second season with OCU, 29-25)
• Mark Berokoff directed Oklahoma City to a 17-14 record in his first season as the Stars' head coach. The Stars collected the No. 3 seed in the SAC Tournament and earned their most conference wins since 2009-10 with a 15-7 mark
• Berokoff directed Randall to three national championships and a national runner-up showing in nine years as head coach of the Saints. Berokoff led Randall to a 147-122 mark. Randall annually squared off with SAC teams and knocked off OCU twice in that span
• Berokoff produced five national player of the year honorees, 16 all-Americans, three national tournament outstanding player award winners and one scholar all-American with Randall. Berkoff became two-time national coach of the year
• Berokoff's coaching career spans the high school, college and professional levels. His combined head-coaching record over 20 years in the college and prep ranks was 389-213 entering the 2022-23 season
Clint Galyean (second season with WBU, 37-19)
• Galyean served as head coach at Central Baptist College (Ark.) before taking over at Wayland Baptist. He guided CBC to a 63-27 record and three NAIA National Tournament appearances
• He recruited and developed six NAIA All-Americans in four years, as well as 15 all-conference players and eight academic all-conference players.
• Recruited to play at Angelo State by former University of Texas head coach Chris Beard, he became a student assistant coach after injuries cut his playing career short.
• Served as graduate assistant coach at ASU for two years while earning his master's degree in coaching, sport, recreation and fitness management
ON THE AIR
• Oklahoma City University athletics provides live and on-demand audio and video of its contests on OCU's BlueFrame platform. Cost to watch OCU athletics live is $4.99 per game, while there is a men's basketball season pass available for $44
• Andrew Himes announces the action. Himes enters his 12th season as the voice of the Stars and has been broadcasting OCU basketball for 15 years starting on color commentary as an OCU student
• OCU has partnered with BlueFrame Technology to create the OCU Sports Network. To watch live video, fans can find the Stars' BlueFrame platform over the web on the SAC Network along with streaming apps for mobile devices (iOS and Android) and televisions including Amazon Fire Tablet, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Roku. The app can be found and installed by searching for the SAC Network
