OKLAHOMA CITY -- The No. 10-ranked Mid-America Christian University Evangels fought off the Langston University Lions tonight (Nov. 10) 79-73 inside the Gaulke Activity Center.
The Evangels led throughout, but had a hard time shaking the Lions until the very end.
The first half featured a pair of ties, with the last coming at 10-10 when Jerrick Massenburge hit a three that ignited a run of seven straight points.
Like much of the night, the Lions wouldn't go away and fought back within one until a bucket by Exzavia Seaton gave the Evangels a 31-28 lead at the break.
With the Lions again down one, the Evangels finally gained some seperation as four points from Nick Tate and five straight points by Jason Nwisienyi keyed an 11-0 spurt that gave MACU its largest lead of the game at 46-34 at the 15:02 mark of the second half.
Langston clawed back and used an 8-2 run to pull even at 59-59 with 7:08 remaining.
The Evangels then pushed back when Tate put in an offensive rebound and then drove the lane for a layup to cap an 11-3 burst that made it 70-62 with 4:16 left.
After the Lions made it a one-possession game at 76-73 with 51 seconds left, the Evangels clamped down defensively and made three free throws down the stretch to close out the win.
Tate led the Evangels (3-1) with 21 points, while Chris Runnels recorded a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds. Devonse Reed also scored in double-figures with 12 points and Malcolm Mann dished out a team-high five assists.
Curtis Jones scored a game-high 22 points to lead the Lions and Jeremy Wilson scored 15. David Mulamba added 12 points and a team-high nine boards.
The Evangels overcame a 40.3 (29-of-72) shooting clip overall and 20 percent (4-of-20) from three-point distance by out-rebounding the Lions 20-7 on the offensive glass and 50-40 overall that led to a 25-8 edge in second-chance points.
Defensively, the Evangels limited the Lions to 41.4 percent (24-of-58) overall and 23.8 percent (5-of-21) from the perimeter.
MACU also dominated the interior, outscoring the Lions 42-26 in the paint.
The Evangels will continue their four games in five nights stretch with a highly touted exhibition contest Thursday night (Nov. 12) at the No. 8-ranked (NCAA D-I) University of Oklahoma Sooners. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Lloyd Noble Center.
