OKLAHOMA CITY ? Head Coach Josh Gamblin and the Mid-America Christian University men's basketball team knew heading into their game Thursday evening that in the Sooner Athletic Conference, every night brings with it a battle for supremacy in one of the elite leagues in NAIA basketball. Battling conference newcomer Central Christian College proved no different.
MACU (6-2, 1-0 SAC) got double-digit performances from five different players, but they had to fend off a charge late from the Tigers (5-2, 0-1 SAC) to hang on for the 83-76 victory.
Each team hit two straight threes in the opening moments, and the game took on a back and forth tone from the outset. MACU eventually grabbed a two-possession lead at the 10:01 mark on a made 3-pointer from Justin Bogle that came as a part of an 8-0 run, and MACU slowly stretched their lead out to as many as 10 in the half before Central Christian closed the frame with four consecutive points, and at the break, MACU led 41-35.
Jordan Rhodes banged in a 3-pointer just 51 seconds into the second half to give MACU an 11-point edge, 46-35, but again CCC bounced back. The Tigers used a 13-1 run to reclaim the lead, taking a 48-47 advantage with 14:24 left. MACU re-built their lead to seven at the 9:02 mark on a made triple from Javan Perry, but again, MACU was unable to make the lead stick as CCC rallied to tie the game three more times ? bringing the total number of ties to seven for the game ? in the next four minutes. One final time, MACU stretched their lead out, taking a 77-71 lead with 2:06 remaining, and a few seconds later, CCC had a chance to start another rally, but MACU caught a break and made a play.
The Tigers' Cam Martin picked the pocket of a MACU guard, and he fed the ball ahead to Kendric Warren for what appeared to be an easy slam dunk to cut the deficit to four, but Warren missed the dunk. Jubril Osagie grabbed the offensive board, but Bogle was there for the blocked shot, and the play changed the course of the game. CCC did cut the margin to three points one more time, but it never got closer than that, as MACU closed the game out at the charity stripe, grabbing the 83-76 win.
Rhodes and Perry led the Evangels with 17 points apiece, and Bogle added 14. Keyshawn Perkins chipped in 13 markers, and Therence Mayimba posted a double-double ? his third of the season ? with 11 points and 11 rebounds. MACU made 25-of-55 (45.5%) shots in the game, including 10-of-24 (41.7% from deep. At the foul line, the Evangels cashed in 23-of-30 (76.7%) attempts.
MACU will be back at home on Saturday, on a day when they will honor the first National Championship team in school history. The Evangels will welcome NAIA #12 Oklahoma City University (6-1, 0-0 SAC) to the Gaulke Activity Center at 5 p.m., with a recognition ceremony in honor of the 1997-98 NCCAA Division II National Champions who were the first National Title winners at MACU.
