OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City rallied from a significant second-half deficit, defeated ninth-ranked Langston in overtime, 74-67, and won the Sooner Athletic Conference Championship on Saturday.
 
It was OCU's first SAC Tournament title since 2019 and its 10^th championship all-time. The win sends OCU to the NAIA Tournament, with opening round announcements coming on Thursday. The Stars will be making their 26^th appearance at the NAIA Tournament and the first since 2019.
 
Getting that title was no easy task. The Stars trailed by 10 at three points in the first half and by nine points with under five minutes left in regulation.
 
"Credit to Langston. They are the standard for college basketball," said OCU first-year head coach Sam Kohnke. "We knew it was going to be a heavyweight battle."
 
Tournament MVP Jonas Carlisle had one point in the first half but he exploded in the clutch. Carlisle had back-to-back three-pointers in an 8-0 OCU run to make it a one-point game with three minutes left in regulation.
 
Beau Tranter hit two high-pressure free throws to tie the game at 60-60 with 63 seconds to go in the second half.
 
Brian Alexander scored half of OCU's overtime points as the Stars never trailed in the extra period.
 
"After we went down in the second half, we just didn't give up," said Kohnke. "We didn't go selfish and we just kept getting stops and kept getting rebounds. Great team win. I'm proud of my guys."
 
Alexander, who made the All-Tournament team, led OCU with 20 points. Carlisle had 17 and Jackson Hopps came up with big points at big moments to finish with 14.
 
Alphonse Muteba had seven points, a team-high nine rebounds, and blocked three shots.
 
The Stars took their playing future out of the tournament committee's hands with the win, getting one of the SAC's two automatic qualifying berths. Kohnke feels good about his team's chances.
 
"We just beat two top 10 teams," said Kohnke, whose Stars had the toughest road to the title game. "We're excited to be in the big dance. Our defense has come a long way. Offensively, just we're just playing simple, smart basketball.