March 22, 2008

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Oklahoma City University punched its ticket to the quarterfinal round of the 2008 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship with a 69-63 win Friday against California Baptist University at Municipal Auditorium.

Senior forward Willie Irick led all scorers with 21 points as the Stars advanced into the quarterfinal round for the third consecutive year. Oklahoma City, the No. 7 seed, pushes its record to 28-7 overall. The Stars will match up with No. 2 Lee University (Tenn.) Saturday at 8 p.m.

The contest between Oklahoma City and California Baptist featured 17 ties and seven lead changes. The final tie came at the 2:41 mark in the second half, when senior forward Ollie Bailey scored on a jumper to help Oklahoma City even the score at 59-59. California Baptist scored on its next possession when sophomore guard Cesar Menjivar hit a shot to put the Lancers back in front 61-59. That turned out to be California Baptist's final lead of the night as Irick sank a three-pointer to spark an 8-0 run to put Oklahoma City in front to stay, 67-61, with 28 seconds to play.

In the first half, California Baptist held the largest lead for either squad, when freshman forward Davey Hopkins scored in the lane midway through the period. The Lancers maintained its lead for most of the period before Irick drilled a three-pointer in the closing seconds of the half to give Oklahoma City a 33-31 lead at the break.

Bailey added 15 points for the Stars, while junior center Na'Vonta Kentle contributed 13 points and eight rebounds. Irick also grabeed eight rebounds for Oklahoma City.

Junior forward Mark Roussin led the way for California Baptist with 16 points, while senior forward Carl Ross and freshman center Michael Brewer each scored 11 points. Junior guard Dave Cernin pulled down a team-leading seven rebounds for the Lancers. California Baptist wrapped up its 2007-08 season with an overall record of 24-9.