The Lowdown: No. 18 Mid-America Christian University @ (RV) Wayland Baptist University
Time: 3 p.m.
Location: Plainview, Texas
Live Video and Audio
Live Stats
The Dish on the Evangels: Just hours after notching their highest NAIA national ranking in school history, the No. 18-ranked Mid-America Christian University Evangels took care of business on the court and grinded out a 69-64 victory over the Oklahoma Baptist University Bison Tuesday night (Jan. 7) at the Noble Complex in Shawnee, Okla. The Evangels now stand all alone in the Sooner Athletic Conference at 4-1 with an 8-3 overall record.
It's just the second win 13 tries for the Evangels over OBU since joining the NAIA, with both victories coming on the road.
The decisive moment of the game occurred when the Evangels were clinging to a 65-62 lead and Angelo Lewis corralled a missed free throw and stuck it back in for a critical two-possession lead with 17 seconds left.
Lewis then came up with a steal at midcourt and hit two at the free throw line to ice the win.
Semar Farris is leading the Evangels in both scoring (20.5 ppg), assists (58) and steals (31). Angelo Lewis is right behind at 19.2 ppg along a with team-best 6.0 rebounds a game. Jarius Wilson (13.7 ppg) and Reggie Davis (10.4 ppg) are also scoring in double-figures for MACU.
Farris is ninth in the NAIA in both assists (5.3 apg) and steals (2.8 spg).
The Evangels are also all over the map in the NAIA Top 10 statistical rankings. MACU is sixth in points per game (94.3 ppg) and assists per game (17.7 apg), eighth in three-point percentage (.397), ninth in steals per game (11.5 spg) and 10th in turnover margin (4.3).
The Dish on the Pioneers: The Wayland Baptist University Pioneers enter tomorrow's game on quite roll, winners of seven of their past eight games. WBU is 11-2 overall, with a 2-1 mark in the SAC and are coming off an 81-68 home win over Oklahoma Baptist University.
Markus Monroe leads the Pioneers in scoring with 19.5 ppg and Barry Johnson is second at 16.2 ppg. Kelly Lawson has a team-high 6.1 rebounds, while Travis Payton has dished out a team-best 60 assists on the season.
The Series: The Evangels are 5-6 against Wayland Baptist since joining the NAIA in 2007. The Evangels lost their first four meetings with the Pioneers, but have won five of the last seven. MACU is 2-4 against WBU on the road in Plainview, Texas.
The Coaches:
Willie Holley is in his 41st season as head coach at Mid-America Christian University and his 777 career victories rank first in school history and second all-time in the NAIA.
Holley helped the Evangels become competitive in a short period of time in the Sooner Athletic Conference and broke through last season. Holley guided the Evangels to their highest-ever finish of third in the SAC with a 9-7 league record. MACU made their first appearance in the NAIA Top 25 in school history, coming in as high as tied for 23rd. The Evangels went on to capture their 20th NCCAA Central Regional Championship and finished fifth at the NCCAA National Tournament.
The 2012-13 season also featured guard Charlie Shorter, who was named SAC Player of the Year, NCCAA National Player of the Year and was a first-team NAIA All-America selection. It's the third straight season Holley has coached an NAIA All-American, as Shorter and Brandon Williams were Honorable-Mention selections in 2011-12 and 2010-11, respectively.
Holley's coaching style is to establish in his players a "no quit" attitude. This style led to an improbable NCCAA National Championship in 2007. The title was the fourth of Holley's illustrious career as he previously won the championship in 1998, 2003, and 2004. This year the plan is to take that same attitude and improve on last season's effort.
During his time at Mid-America, Holley has become a fixture in the athletic program, as he served as Athletic Director from 1973-2012. In 1997, Holley was inducted into the NCCAA Hall of Fame, and he has been named the NCCAA Division II Coach of the Year four times - 1985, 1995, 2000 and 2004. Holley has also coached 17 All- Americans and won numerous conference and regional championships.
Holley earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from University of Louisiana - Monroe in 1970. He and his wife, Janet, have three daughters: Angela, Jessica and Stacey.
Matt Garnett is in his third season at the helm of his alma mater Wayland Baptist University after a one-year stint as head coach at McMurry University. Garnett guided the Pioneers to the SAC Conference Tournament last year for the first time in four seasons. At McMurry, Garnett took MU to the NCAA D-III National Tournament and was named the American Southwest Conference West Division Coach of the Year. Garnett was the Pioneers point guard for three seasons as a player and earned second team All-Conference honors as a junior.
Up Next: The Evangels will return home and host Southwestern Christian University on Thursday night (Jan. 16) at 8 p.m. inside the Gaulke Activity Center.
