NCCAA National Tournament Quarterfinal: #4 Mid-America Christian University #5 Shorter University
When: Wednesday, Mar. 12. Time: 11 a.m. (CST). Location: Winona Lake, Ind.
Live Video: http://www.tourbeausportsgroup.com/p/201.html
Official NCCAA National Tournament Page: http://www.grace.edu/athletics/nccaa
What's at stake: A berth in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) semifinals is on the line pitting the fourth-seeded Mid-America Christian University Evangels and the fifth-seeded Shorter University Hawks.
The Dish on the Evangels: The Evangels won their way here by capturing the NCCAA Central Regional Championship with a 68-66 victory over the top-seeded McMurry University War Hawks last Saturday (Mar. 9) in Bartlesville, Okla. Shorter led the efforts by averaging 31.7 points in the three regional wins, including a career-high 44 points in the 89-87 semifinal win over Oklahoma Christian University. Angelo Lewis led the Evangels with a team-high 20 points in the title game, including the game-winning layup that snapped a 66-66 tie with 25 seconds remaining. The Evangels have an overall record of 17-12 and finished tied for third in the Sooner Athletic Conference with a 9-7 league mark.
Shorter, the SAC Player of the Year and NCCAA Central Regional Co-MVP, currently leads the SAC and is second in NAIA Division I in scoring with 23.1 points per game. Angelo Lewis leads the league in rebounding (8.2 rpg) and field-goal percentage (.513), while Camilo Valencia has dished out a team-high 3.8 assists per game this season.
The Dish on the Hawks: The Shorter University Hawks are the NCCAA South Regional champions after knocking off Southern Wesleyan 87-75 on Saturday. The Hawks, located in Rome, Ga., will enter the tourney with an 18-11 overall record and compete in the NCAA D-II Gulf South Conference. Shorter finished 9-9 in the GSC but is not yet eligible for the NCAA Postseason after making the transition from the NAIA.
Walter Hill is pacing the Hawks in scoring (15.4 ppg) and is second with 5.9 rebounds a game. Anthony Banks is tied for second in scoring with 14.9 ppg and has hauled in a team-high 7.5 rebounds. CJ Davis is also scoring 14.9 ppg, while Dedric Ware averages 13.7 ppg along with a team-best 144 assists on the season.
The Coaches:
Willie Holley is in his 40th season as head coach at Mid-America Christian University and his 767 career victories rank first in school history and second all-time in the NAIA. He guided the Evangels to their first-ever NAIA Top 25 ranking this season, climbing as high as No. 23. He has also led the Evangels to their 20th Central Regional title this year and their 22nd NCCAA National Tournament appearance. Holley has helped the Evangels become competitive in a short period of time in the SAC, as for the second straight year, Holley kept the Evangels in the hunt for a Sooner Athletic Conference postseason tournament berth until the final day of the season. MACU more than doubled its win total over its first two seasons with 13 conference victories in the 2009-10 season and achieved a landmark victory at defending NAIA National Champion Oklahoma Baptist during the 2010-11 season.
Chad Warner is in his sixth season at the helm of the Shorter University Hawks. Warner has led the Hawks to five straight years of 15 wins for the first time in school history. He was named the NABC NAIA National Coach of the Year for the 2011-12 season after guiding the Hawks to 34 wins and an appearance in the NAIA Fab Four.
