Oklahoma City University at Panhandle State women's basketball preview

Abby Selzer/Women's Basketball | Oklahoma City University

By Press release submission

Jan 7, 2023

THE MATCHUP

• Oklahoma City University faces conference opponent Oklahoma Panhandle State in its first game of the New Year
• OCU holds a 10-2 all time lead against OPSU. They lost the last two matchups with their last loss being the closest ever margin with a final score of 71-62 on Feb. 7, 2022.
• OCU got out to a huge 23-6 lead in the first quarter but struggled in the second half as the Aggies rallied. Abby Selzer led with 22 points.

ABOUT THE STARS

• The Stars come into the game with a record of 5-7, 2-5.
• OCU defeated Oklahoma Wesleyan 83-66 in their last game.
• Amaya Gordon led Stars with 16 points shooting a season best 56.7 percent.
• She is averaging 10.2 points per game.
• Six Stars reached double figure scoring in their win.
•The Stars achieve 3.8 blocks per game good enough for 27th in the NAIA.
• The Stars took the seventh spot in the preseason Sooner Athletic Conference coaches' poll. Oklahoma City has seized 20 SAC regular-season championships and 12 SAC Tournament titles. Oklahoma City owns 26 appearances in the NAIA Division I Championship Tournament with nine national championships won in 1988, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2017 with four national runner-up finishes (2003, 2004, 2005, 2019).

ABOUT THE AGGIES

• Oklahoma Panhandle State holds a 1-9, 1-6.
• They dropped a 54-84 contest to Wayland Baptist on Dec. 15 in their last game.
• Mariah Williams led with 10 points and is averaging 6.3 per game.
• OPSU is 88th in the NAIA for offensive rebounds per game.
• OPSU took the 11th spot in the SAC Preseason Coaches' Poll

MEET THE COACHES

Kris Segeinthaler (first year at OCU)

• Kris Seigenthaler assumed the OCU head-coaching job after spending the last four years at Loyola (La.) as an assistant coach. Loyola made four national-tournament appearances with four 20-win seasons and twice sweeping the Southern States Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament titles.
• Seigenthaler has had coaching stops as an assistant at Auburn University at Montgomery (Ala.), Faulkner (Ala.) and Shorter (Ga.). While at Auburn Montgomery, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association included Seigenthaler among its rising stars in the coaching profession on the Thirty Under 30 list.
• Seigenthaler began her coaching career as a graduate assistant at Shorter following a playing career at the University of Montevallo (Ala.)

Greg Ray (first year at OPSU)

• Ray has experience at NCAA D 1, NAIA D1, and junior college levels.
• He most recently was associate head coach at Seward County Community College, Chicago State University.
• Ray led the Midwest Elite Basketball and the Alaska Stars club coach.
• Prior to basketball coaching, Ray was a recruiter for the Alaska Army National Guard and in the Army for 21 years.
• Ray received notable awards such as Senior Non-Commissioned Officer of the United States Army, Master Recruiting Badge by the United States Army in 2004, and Station Commander from 2007-09.