The Lowdown: No. 5 Southwestern Assemblies of God University at No. 14 Mid-America Christian University
Time: 5 p.m.
Location: Gaulke Activity Center, Oklahoma City, Okla.
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Live Stats:
The Dish on the Evangels: The No. 14 Mid-America Christian University Evangels suffered their second straight loss in a stunning 115-87 rout by the Northwood University Knights Thursday night (Feb. 13) in Cedar Hill, Texas. The Knights limited the Evangels to only 37.7 percent (29-of-77) shooting overall and only 15.8 percent (3-of-19) from the perimeter.
The Evangels are still in second place in the Sooner Athletic Conference with a 10-5 conference record along with a 14-7 overall mark.
Semar Farris is leading the Evangels in both scoring (19.5 ppg), assists (103) and steals (67). Angelo Lewis is right behind at 16.8 ppg along with a team-high 5.9 rebounds a game. Jarius Wilson (13.8 ppg) and Reggie Davis (12.1 ppg) are also scoring in double-figures for MACU.
The Dish on the Lions: The No. 5-ranked Southwestern Assemblies of God University Lions are 21-3 overall and lead the SAC at 13-2 in the league. The Lions are coming off consecutive wins over Texas Wesleyan University and Oklahoma Baptist University Bison following an 88-80 upset at USAO back on Feb. 6.
Dominique Rambo leads SAGU in points (22.4 ppg) and steals (56) along with 5.3 rebounds. Emmanuel Adoyi leads the Lions with 7.4 rpg and Caleb Gentry has a team-best 67 assists on the season.
The Series: Despite this being SAGU's initial season in the SAC, the two programs are quite familiar with each other as both are also NCCAA schools. In the last six years, the Evangels are 3-2 against SAGU after the Lions won this season's initial matchup. Before this year, all four meetings came at the NCCAA Tournament, including MACU defeating the Lions 77-69 to capture the 2009-10 NCCAA Central Regional championship.
The Coaches:
Willie Holley is in his 41st season as head coach at Mid-America Christian University and his 783 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.
Donnie Bostwick is in his third season at the helm of SAGU with a record of 81-19. Bostwick made an immediate impact with the Lions by guiding them to the NAIA National Championship game last year in his second year.
Up Next: The Evangels will be back at home next Thursday night (Feb. 20) to host John Brown University at 8 p.m. inside the Gaulke Activity Center.
