OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Mid-American Christian University Lady Evangels made the big plays down the stretch to hold off the Northwood University Knights 76-66 in Sooner Athletic Conference action Thursday evening (Jan. 4) inside the Gaulke Activity Center. With the win, MACU is now 9-3 overall and 3-0 in the SAC for the first time since joining the NAIA.
Clinging to a three-point lead of 67-64 with 3:12 remaining, the Lady Evangels buckled down and held the Knights to only two points the rest of the way.
Tierra Brown and Maclayn Massey made sure the Lady Evangels had enough offense to carry it through, combining for the Lady Evangels' final nine points down the stretch.
Brown started it with two free throws, followed by consecutive buckets by Massey that stretched the lead to seven at 73-66 with just 50 seconds left.
A free throw by Massey and then a score inside from Brown closed out the victory.
After the Knights trimmed a 17 point deficit down to three early in the second half, the Lady Evangels started the second half strong as Cheyenne Been scored eight points to fuel a 16-4 charge that made it 53-38 at the 14:02 mark.
It was a 14-point lead when the Knights again made things interesting with a 13-2 run over the next four minutes to claw within 63-60.
April Williams helped the Lady Evangels get off to a good start by hitting three treys in the first nine minutes of the contest, including a three to cap a 7-0 spurt that created a 22-12 edge.
A pair of scores inside from Brown would then extend the lead to 28-13 at the 9:23 mark of the first half.
Lakeisha Blanson then led a Knights charge at the end of the half by scoring eight points to fuel a 17-5 push and a three by Krystal Andaloza as time expired brought NU within 37-32 at the break.
Lauren McKinney posted a double-double of 10 points and 14 rebounds and also dished out a team-high five assists. Five other Lady Evangels also reached double-figure scoring, including Brown with 14 points and seven boards.
Ashlee Ferguson scored 13, followed by Been with 12. Williams added 11 points and Massey chipped in with 10.
Blanson led all scorers with 20 points for the Knights, while B'ria Wagner scored 10. Virginia Wright had a team-high 11 rebounds for NU.
The Lady Evangels were out-shot 46.8 percent (22-of-47) to 39.1 percent (27-of-69), but offset that by forcing 23 turnovers and holding a 43-38 edge on the glass.
The Lady Evangels will next play at Southwestern Assemblies of God University on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 4) at 3 p.m. in Waxahachie, Texas.
