Bartlesville, Okla. -- Junior forward Angelo Lewis scored late to snap a 66-66 tie and propel the Mid-America Christian University Evangels to the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Central Regional championship over the top-seeded McMurry University War Hawks Saturday afternoon (Mar. 9) in Bartlesville, Okla.
With the win, the Evangels advance to the NCCAA National Tournament, set to begin next week on the campus of Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana. MACU will be going for its fifth NCCAA National Championship in its 22nd National Tournament appearance.
The Evangels trailed by as many as nine in the second half and was still down 66-60 when Thomas Brandsma scored for the War Hawks with 4:31 left.
From there, the Evangels put on the defensive clamps and held McMurry scoreless the rest of the way.
Charlie Shorter connected from three-point distance to make it a one-possession game with 3:57 remaining, setting up Lewis' late-game heroics.
With the score remaining 66-63, Lewis split a pair at the free throw line and then recorded a steal and drove in a for a game-tying layup at the 1:55 mark.
The Evangels then got a defensive stop and after exchanging turnovers with the War Hawks, Lewis got free inside for a layup with 25 seconds remaining.
McMurry was unable to get a shot off in the final seconds after the Evangels used their foul to give with one second remaining.
MACU came out strong out the gate in the first half, opening up a nine-point lead of 27-18 on a score from Reggie Davis with 6:25 left.
The War Hawks then closed out the half strong, out-scoring the Evangels 14-5 over the final 4:47 as a three by Kaylim Noel made it 39-35 in favor of McMurry heading into the break.
Lewis led the Evangels with a game-high 20 points and has six rebounds to tie for team-high honors with Josh Minner. Seniors Shorter and Camilo Valencia each chipped in with 12 points.
Takoby Jackson paced the War Hawks with 19 points, while Antonio Bell added 14.
The Evangels had to overcome a 33-24 deficit on the glass, but held a 22-8 edge in points off turnovers.
