The Lowdown: St. Gregory's University @ No. 12 Mid-America Christian University
Time: Feb. 6 @ 5 p.m.
Location: Gaulke Activity Center, Oklahoma City, Okla.
Live Video:
Live Stats:
The Dish on the Evangels: Jerrick Massenburge put in 17 of his team-high 20 points in the second half to help the No. 12-ranked Mid-America Christian University Evangels overcome a 19-point second-half deficit and defeat the No. 25-ranked Oklahoma City University Stars 78-76 Thursday night (Feb. 4) in a Sooner Athletic Conference matchup at Abe Lemons Arena on the OCU campus.
Massenburge tied his career-high by hitting 6-of-11 from beyond the arc. Bryon Miller scored 15 on 6-of-7 overall from the field and Chris Runnels chipped in with 13 points. Ex'Zavia Seaton led the Evangels with a game-high 10 rebounds.
The victory moves the Evangels to 18-5 overall and keeps them alone in second place in the SAC with an 8-3 conference mark.
Nick Tate currently leads the Evangels in both points (16.4 ppg) and rebounds (7.4 rpg), with Devonse Reed second in scoring with 15.4 ppg. Miller is third in scoring with 13.6 ppg and has hit a team-high 61 threes on the season. Massenburge is right behind at 13.5 ppg, while Runnels also averages double-figure scoring with 10.6 ppg and blocked a team-high 44 shots. Malcolm Mann has dished out a team-best 133 assists this season.
Mann is sixth in the NAIA in assists per game (6.0 apg) and Runnels is eighth in blocks per game (2.0 bpg). Miller also ranks 10th in three-point field-goal percentage (.480).
As a team, the Evangels are sixth in the NAIA in both scoring offense per game (91.3) and assists per game (17.8). MACU is also ninth in turnover margin (3.348).
The Dish on the Cavaliers: The St. Gregory's University Cavaliers are in the midst of a seven-game losing skid and are currently 7-12 overall and 2-9 in the SAC.
Stephen Walter is pacing the Cavaliers with 17.4 ppg, with Richard Shields right behind at 17.0 ppg. Rodney Smith is third in scoring with 12.2 ppg and has tallied a team-high 70 assists on the season. Kevin Ritchie is averaging 10.5 ppg, while Zachary Lemusu leads SGU with 6.2 rebounds per game.
As a team, the Cavaliers are seventh in the NAIA in free-throw percentage (.728).Individually, Gracela is third in the NAIA in offensive rebounds per game (3.8) and Henry Buckley is fifth in blocks per game (2.2). Ellis is also seventh in free-throw percentage (.864).
The Series: The Evangels have had their way with the Cavaliers since joining the NAIA. MACU has won 14 of the 17 meetings with SGU, including a 105-96 victory over the Cavaliers in this season's first meeting (1/16/16) in Shawnee, Okla.
Fact of the Century: Under first-year head coach Josh Gamblin, the Evangels have scored 100 or more points on 10 occasions this year, already more than any other season since joining the NAIA. In fact, the Evangels had only reached the century mark 11 times in the eight combined prior seasons as an NAIA school. MACU is 9-1 when scoring at least 100 points this season, but have lost all three times they've allowed the opposition to reach the century mark.
The Coaches:
Josh Gamblin is in his first season as the head coach of the Mid-America Christian University men's basketball program. Gamblin's impact has been immediate, guiding the Evangels to an 18-5 record thus far this year and currently a No. 12 ranking in the latest NAIA Top 25 Coaches' poll.
Gamblin comes to MACU from the University of Oklahoma, where he was a Graduate Assistant Coach under Head Coach Lon Kruger. There he assisted in all practices and logged scout games. Gamblin also worked with coaches on opponent scouting reports for a squad that advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament last season.
"We really appreciate all of Josh's assistance during his time with the Sooners and I know he'll do a fantastic job," Kruger said. "MACU is lucky to have him."
Prior to arriving at OU, Gamblin served two-years at Southwestern Christian University (SCU) as lead Assistant Coach on Head Coach Quinn Wooldridge's staff. Gamblin's duties at SCU involved recruiting, leading film sessions and analyzing opponent's scouting reports.
During the 2011-12 basketball season, Gamblin worked in the NBA as the Intern Video Coordinator for the Los Angeles Clippers under then-Head Coach Vinny Del Negro. Gamblin helped prepare pre-game scouting reports for the Clippers, as well as logging all opponent games and being involved in coaches meetings. His efforts with the Clippers led to the best winning percentage in team history.
"Josh has worked at the highest level and continually strives to learn and become a better coach each day," Del Negro said. "He is constantly working to improve his craft and striving for excellence is everything he does."
Off the court, Gamblin has served as Clippers' All-Star Forward Blake Griffin's Summer Basketball Trainer for the past three seasons. Gamblin helped Griffin prepare for upcoming basketball seasons by working on a number of offensive and defensive drills—specifically pick and roll coverages, low post moves and ball handling drills.
Gamblin's collegiate-athlete experience includes, but not limited to: competed at SCU on the Men's Basketball team from 2007-11; Varsity Captain (twice); named SCU Male Newcomer of the Year in 2008; and selected as Team MVP for the 2011 season. Additional honors include: Association of Christian College Athletics (ACCA) Honorable-Mention All-America honors in 2010; a Midlands Collegiate Athletic All-Conference selection in 2011; and named "Mr. Southwestern" in 2011, (awarded to the student who exemplifies the values, traditions and spirit of SCU). After the 2011 season, Gamblin received the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference Scholar Athlete award.
He graduated from SCU in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and is currently enrolled in the IAA Master's program at the University of Oklahoma.
Gamblin and his wife Jennifer live in Oklahoma City with their infant son Miles.
John Martin is in his eighth season at the helm of the St. Gregory's University Cavaliers and guided the Cavaliers to the NAIA Fab Four in the 2013-14 season. Before coming to SGU, Martin was the head coach of Moore HS for three years and at John Marshall HS in OKC for two seasons. Martin guided John Marshall to a state championship in 2003.
Up Next: The Evangels will remain at home and host USAO Thursday night (Feb. 11) at 8 p.m. inside the Gaulke Activity Center.
