March 20, 2008

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Oklahoma City University rolled to an 81-64 victory against Cumberland University (Tenn.) Thursday in the opening round of the 2008 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship at Municipal Auditorium.

The No. 7-seeded Stars shot 57.4 percent from the field in opening defense of their 2007 national championship. Oklahoma City improves to 27-7 overall and will meet either California Baptist University or Xavier University (La.) in a second-round game Friday at 9:45 p.m. CST.

Ollie Bailey scored a team-high 20 points for Oklahoma City, 12 of which came in the first half when the Stars built a 36-24 halftime lead. Willie Irick chipped in with 17 points and six rebounds, while Richard Jackson scored 12 points in a reserve role. Kameron Grey enjoyed a solid all-around game for the Stars with game-high totals of eight assists and four steals to go along with 10 points.

Oklahoma City opened the contest on a 12-2 run before an 8-2 run by Cumberland cut the margin to 14-10. The Stars' biggest lead came with its 12-point halftime advantage as Jason Arbet hit a shot just before the buzzer sounded. Oklahoma City took control early in the second half thanks to a 15-3 outburst that pushed the lead to 51-27. The Stars' largest lead of the contest came with Arbet hit a three-pointer with 12:01 to play, extending the margin to 61-33.

DeCorey Young topped the scoring list for Cumberland with 16 points. Jason Langellier came off the bench to score 13 points, while Rontreal Braxton posted 12 points. Rodney James pulled down nine rebounds for the Bulldogs, who close the year with a record of 21-12.