From OCU Sports
Rich Tortorelli, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
WEATHERFORD – Oklahoma City University cruised past Southwestern Oklahoma State, 80-59, on Monday at the Pioneer Cellular Events Center in a men’s basketball exhibition.
Lou Dunbar, a junior from Seabrook, Texas, topped Oklahoma City with 14 points, two 3-pointers and two steals. The Stars built advantages in points off turnovers (28-7) and points in the paint (34-16) while shooting 52.2 percent from the field.
“We have a lot of things to work on, but I thought it was a great team win for us tonight,” OCU coach Vinay Patel said. “I was especially proud of our defensive effort. We got help offensively from a lot of players, and I think it showed how deep this team can be at times. I’m excited to get back in practice this week and hopefully improve on some key areas before we play our next game.”
Tyler Alderman, a senior from Fishers, Ind., produced nine points and five rebounds, while Walter Rickett, a junior from Dallas, contributed nine points, six rebounds and two steals for OCU. Brandon Patten, a junior from Orange Park, Fla., picked up nine points and four rebounds.
Jonathan Reed, a junior from Powder Springs, Ga., supplied the Stars with eight points, four rebounds and two steals, and Xavier Smith, a senior from Richardson, Texas, added seven points, four rebounds and two steals.
OCU’s Terence Bonhomme, a junior from St. Martinville, La., scored seven points, while Syrus McDonald, a senior from Flint, Mich., had six points and a team-best six assists. Alex James, a junior from Plano, Texas, tallied six points.
The Stars pulled away with an 11-2 run nearly midway through the second half. James sparked the run with a 3-point play that gave OCU a 44-38 edge at the 11:34 mark.
Dunbar sank a trey to put the Stars up 49-40 with 9:32 remaining in the game. Alderman capped the surge and provided OCU a 52-40 lead at 9:06 to go.
OCU plays its next exhibition 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 7 against Midwestern State (Texas) in Wichita Falls, Texas. The Stars hold their first regular-season game 7 p.m. on Nov. 10 against Randall at Abe Lemons Arena.