Plainview, Texas -- It appeared that tomorrow's regular season matchup between the No. 12-ranked Mid-America Christian University Evangels and the No. 14-ranked Wayland Baptist University Pioneers would have huge implications for both teams. But with the Evangels winning last night at Texas Wesleyan University and WBU falling at home to Oklahoma Baptist University, the Evangels have already clinched their first Sooner Athletic Conference championship and is now all about sustaining momentum ahead of next week's SAC Tournament.
It's hard to generate much more momentum than what the Evangels currently have, winning 13 of their last 15 games to improve to 21-8 overall and 14-3 in the SAC.
The Pioneers had been hot as well, winning seven straight games until seeing that streak snapped against OBU last night that dropped their overall record to 23-5 and 12-5 in conference.
The Evangels easily dispatched of the Pioneers in the first meeting, winning 83-64 inside the Gaulke Activity Center back on Jan. 15.
Semar Farris led the Evangels with 18 points and seven assists, while Chris Runnels scored 13 points along with a team-high nine rebounds. The Evangels also got 13 points from Brock Hunter and Reggie Davis added 12.
Farris is pacing the Evangels in scoring (17.6 ppg), assists (148), steals (68) and threes (69). Davis is second in scoring with 11.5 ppg and Jarius Wilson is also scoring in double-figures at 11.0 ppg. Runnels is leading MACU in both rebounds (5.3 rpg) and blocks (43).
Royal Crouch leads four Pioneers in double-figures with 17.5 ppg and is also second on the team in rebounding with 6.0 rpg. Robert Waters is second in scoring with 13.5 ppg along with a team-high 121 assists on the season. Bunja Yaboe leads WBU in rebounding with 7.7 boards per game.
The Series: The Evangels are 6-8 against Wayland Baptist since joining the NAIA in 2007 after winning the first meeting this season. The Evangels dropped their first four meetings with the Pioneers, but have won six of the last 10.
The Coaches:
Willie Holley is in his 42nd and final season as head coach at Mid-America Christian University and became just the 18th coach in college basketball history with 800 victories with an 86-52 victory at Southwestern Christian University (1/17/15). Holley now has an astounding 809 career wins, good for second all-time in the NAIA.
Entering the 2014-15 season, Holley has announced that this year will be his last of a legendary tenure.
He coached the Evangels to a tie for second place in the Sooner Athletic Conference with a 12-8 league record, their highest-finish as an NAIA school.
He also led MACU to its first-ever SAC Tournament victory last season and had the program within one spot of qualifying for their initial NAIA National Tournament berth.
After coming up just short for the NAIA Tournament, the Evangels qualified for their 23rd National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) National Tournament appearance.
The 2013-14 campaign also featured Holley coaching an NAIA All-America performer for the fourth straight season, as guard Semar Farris earned second-team NAIA All-America honors.
Holley has helped the Evangels become competitive in a short period of time in the Sooner Athletic Conference and broke through in 2012-13. Holley guided the Evangels to a 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 18 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 fourth 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 NAIA National Tournament last season for the first time since 2008. 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.
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