Oklahoma City, Okla. - Brandon Williams and John Shodipo combined for 34 points to lead the Mid-America Christian Evangels to an 85-78 victory over the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma Drovers in a Sooner Athletic Conference matchup Thursday night (Jan. 13) at the Gaulke Activity Center. 

The win pushes the Evangels above the .500 mark in conference play at 5-4 and 9-6 overall. 

The Evangels took control of the contest with a 15-0 outburst over the final 4:59 of the opening half that turned a one-point advantage into a 49-33 cushion at the half.

Darius Gregory and Cameron Langster combined for 10 points during the spurt that was capped by a buzzer-beating layup by Nosa Amadasun off a pass from Nathan Pratt. 

MACU (9-6, 5-4 SAC) maintained control throughout most of the second half, never letting the lead slip under double-digits over the first 18 minutes.

The Evangels took their biggest lead of the game at 20 on a three by Williams and an inside shot from Blake Larson that made it 73-53 with 6:17 remaining.

USAO (6-8, 2-6 SAC) tried to chip away with six straight points and later scored eight straight to finally come within single-digits at 78-72 at the 1:43 mark.

The Evangels, struggling from the charity stripe for much of the night, then calmly stepped up and hit five crucial free throws that stretched the lead back to 11 with just 24 seconds remaining. 

The closest the Drovers got from that point was a three by Thomas Peters that created the final seven-point margin. 

Williams scored 18 to lead the Evangels, including a perfect 8-of-8 at the foul line. Shodipo chipped in with 16 and a game-high 10 rebounds. Gregory added 13 and a game-high four steals. Camilo Valencia dished out a team-best seven assists. 

Peters led all scorers with 27 points, while Phillip Harris scored 16 and Sahlih Butts added 15 and a team-high eight boards for the Drovers.

The Evangels out-rebounded the Drovers 49-40 and forced 25 turnovers on the night.