SHAWNEE – On Friday Nov. 17 at 7 p.m., Oklahoma Baptist and Oklahoma City University will square off at the Noble Complex. Once former rivals in the NAIA, the two squads will meet for the first time in the Bison's NCAA D2 era.
The game will be broadcast on the Bison Sports Network with Scott Wanish and Zach Frazier on the call.
Rivalry Renewed
From the 1985-86 campaign all the way through the 2014-15 season, Oklahoma Baptist and Oklahoma City squared off multiple times each year. That was during the NAIA days for the Bison before they made the move to NCAA Division II. The Stars and OBU met a combined 72 times over those 30 years of competition. OCU ended up winning 48 of those matchups. Now, the teams will meet again for the first time since a March 7, 2015 affair.
Hey, I Used to Work There!
Fourth-year head coach
Bo Overton is familiar with OCU having coached there for five seasons between 2015 and 2020. He had a sensational tenure with the Stars. Overton guided that NAIA program to 145 wins and had an .885 winning percentage. The Stars were the 2017 NAIA Division I Champions and were runner-ups in 2019. He also led Oklahoma City to four Sooner Athletic Conference regular-season titles and a pair of SAC Tournament Championships.
A Slow Start
The Bison were held to an average of 52.0 points per game last week during the season-opening GAC/MIAA Challenge hosted in Shawnee. Outside of two good performances from
Madison Chambers and
Jaedyn Getman, the team shot 33.0 percent from the field and 20.7 percent from three-point range. The two aforementioned Bison are currently the only players with double-digit field-goal attempts hitting at least 40 percent from the field. Keep an eye on this front as the Bison, who played four freshmen in the lineup last week, look to progress on the offensive end.
So Far, So Good
Sophomore
Jaedyn Getman was the team MVP last week in games against Pittsburg State and Washburn. The Stratford, Okla., native went for 14 points and six rebounds before pouring in a career-high 27 against the Ichabods. That total against Washburn bested a previous high of 23 attained last year against Northwestern Oklahoma State on Jan. 21, 2023. Heading into the second week of action, Getman ranks second in the GAC in scoring (20.5), 13th in rebounding (6.5) and 16th in free throw percentage (76.9).
Getting to the Line
One of the bright spots for the Bison offense last week was getting to the free throw line. In the two matchups with Pittsburg State and Washburn, OBU reached the line 35 times. Fourteen of those came against the Gorillas while 21 more came versus the Ichabods. By week's end, the Bison made 74.3 percent from the charity stripe. Furthermore, the team made 19-of-21, a mark of 90.5 percent, against WU. Getman led the charge making 10-of-13 (76.9) in the contests.
Reinforcements Needed
In game one against Pittsburg State,
Madison Chambers made nine of the team's 19 field goals. And then against Washburn, Getman tallied 10 of the team's 17 makes. Those two players have accounted for nearly 70 percent of the Bison's scoring. Through two games, the rest of the Bison are 11 of 50 from the field. The next opportunity to grow: Friday versus Oklahoma City.
Finding Growth
Freshman
Payten Conde had some growing moments last week for the Bison. After going 0-for-4 against Pittsburg State, the newcomer from Little River, Texas came back to score seven points against Washburn. That included a 4-for-4 effort at the free throw line. Conde also registered a block and five combined steals in the two games.
Block Party!
OBU dialed up nine blocks last week. Four of those came against Pittsburg State while five more were registered against Washburn.
Sierra Copeland notched four of those while freshman
Parker Stevenson added a pair. Additionally,
Sydney Duncan,
Faith Wright and Conde tallied one. After the first week of competition, the Bison rank tied for 34th nationally with a 4.5 blocks-per-game average.
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