The Lowdown: Wayland Baptist University @ No. 10 Mid-America Christian University
Time: Jan. 12 @ 8 p.m.
Location: Gaulke Activity Center, Oklahoma City, Okla.
Live Video:
Live Stats:
The Dish on the Evangels: The No. 10-ranked Mid-America Christian University Evangels snapped a three-game losing streak in a big way by hitting 20 threes to tie the school record in routing the Crowley's Ridge College Pioneers 121-87 Tuesday afternoon (Jan. 10).
Of the 20 treys, Olajuwon Garner did the most damage, knocking down six shots from beyond the arc.
Devante Moore tied his career-best with three treys, while Trey Slate also knocked down three shots from the perimeter.
The Evangels also got a pair of threes each from Malcolm Mann. Ex'Zavia Seaton, Devonse Reed and Jordan Rhodes.
The Evangels are now 11-5 overall with a 2-2 mark in the Sooner Athletic Conference.
Garner leads the Evangels in scoring (16.3 ppg) and leads both the SAC and NAIA with 61 threes on the season. He is also first in the SAC and seventh in the NAIA in three-point percentage (.508).
Tyler Chaisson is scoring 13.6 ppg and Reed is at 13.1 ppg. Seaton is also averaging double-figure scoring with 10.6 ppg along with a team-high 8.6 rebounds a game. Mann is second in the SAC and sixth in the NAIA with 5.7 assists per game.
Also, Seaton is second in the SAC and sixth in the NAIA in defensive rebounds per game (7.4).
As a team, the Evangels are all over the map in the NAIA rankings. MACU is tops in scoring offense per game (97.5 ppg), second in the categories of defensive rebounds per game (34.0 rpg) and assists per game (20.5 apg), third in free-throw percentage (.761) and fifth in total rebounds per game (44.9).
The Dish on the Pioneers: The Wayland Baptist University Pioneers have won two straight games to move to 11-5 overall and 3-1 in the SAC. WBU most recently defeated John Brown University 91-66 last Saturday (Jan. 7).
Maurice Redmond is tops on the Pioneers in both scoring (16.9 ppg) and assists (54). Marshall Nelson is second in scoring at 13.4 ppg, with Russell Harrison right behind at 13.2 ppg. Louis Tims is averaging 13.1 ppg, with team-highs of 9.6 rebounds and an NAIA-leading 43 blocks on the season. Joshua Throns is also scoring in double-figures with 11.1 ppg.
The Pioneers rank third in the NAIA in threes per game (10.8), seventh in three-point percentage (.412), eighth in free-throw percentage (.750), ninth in total blocks (67) and 10th in scoring offense per game (89.1).
Tims is also fifth in the NAIA in defensive rebounds per game (7.4) and his 9.6 rebounds per game are ninth.
The Series: The Evangels are 7-12 all-time vs. Wayland Baptist after the Pioneers won two of the three meetings last season. The two schools split the season series, with each squad winning at home, but WBU bested the Evangels 92-87 in the semifinals of the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament. The Evangels are 5-4 vs. WBU at home.
Fact of the Century: Picking up where they left off last season, the defending NAIA National Champion Evangels have scored at least 100 points on six occasions this year after reaching the century mark 11 times in the 2015-16 season. The Evangels are currently the top scoring team in the NAIA (97.5 ppg) after ranking sixth in the NAIA (90.0 ppg) last year.
The Coaches:
Josh Gamblin is his second season as head coach of the Mid-America Christian University men's basketball program.
In his first season at the helm, Gamblin made a historic, immediate impact. Gamblin guided the Evangels to their first-ever NAIA National Championship, capping off the memorable title run with a thrilling, 100-99 overtime victory over then No. 1-ranked Georgetown (Ky.). In the process, Gamblin become the youngest coach (27 years old) in college basketball history to win a national championship at a four-year institution.
Following the championship triumph, Gamblin was named the 2015-16 Rawlings-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coach of the Year. His character influence was also felt throughout the year, culminating with the program receiving the Dr. James Naismith-Emil S. Liston Sportsmanship award at the conclusion of the NAIA National Tournament.
Overall, Gamblin is 39-14 as head coach of the Evangels.
Recently, Gamblin had the privilege of speaking at the Nike Championship Basketball Clinic on the campus of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla. Gamblin presented the topic "Covering the Pick and Roll" to attendees and was joined by other premier coaches and players from around the U.S., including coaches Lon Kruger and Sherri Coale from the University of Oklahoma and retired NBA center Swen Nater.
Gamblin came 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.
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.
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 one-year old son Miles.
Ty Harrelson is in his second season as head coach of the Wayland Baptist University Pioneers. In his first year at the helm, Harrelson guided the Pioneers to the SAC postseason tournament title and a berth in the NAIA National Tournament.
Harrelson is no stranger to WBU, having played two seasons for the Pioneers from 2001-03 and being inducted into the WBU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014. For the past 12 years, Harrelson has played and coached professional basketball, most recently in Australia.
Up Next: The Evangels will embark on a four-game road trip, beginning at USAO Saturday afternoon (Jan. 14). Tip-off is set for 5 pm in Chickasha, Okla.
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