OKLAHOMA CITY – The Mid-America Christian University Evangels snapped a three-game losing streak in a big way by knocking off the No. 21-ranked Southwestern Assemblies of God University Lions 91-82 in a Sooner Athletic Conference matchup today (Feb. 18) inside the Gaulke Activity Center.
The win is the Evangels' third over an NAIA Top 25 opponent this season, as MACU swept two meetings from No. 11-ranked and SAC frontrunner Texas Wesleyan University.
The Evangels made the decisive push in the second half after SAGU led for the first 22 minutes of the contest.
Down 47-41 at the break and eight early in the second half, a putback dunk by Jordan Rhodes followed buckets by Olajuwon Garner and Devante Moore made it a two-point game at 49-47.
Following one free throw by Kentton Williams, a three by Garner tied it and then Moore nailed a trey to give the Evangels their first lead of the game of 53-52 with 16:56 left.
After a three from Josh Swearingin temporarily put the Lions back on top, the Evangels went on a 9-1 run to take a lead they wouldn't relinquish with 13:58 remaining.
A trey from Chris Bates later pushed the MACU lead to 72-63 when the Lions got right back in it with seven straight points to make it a two-point game with still 6:52 left.
With the edge still at 2 points, the Evangels gained separation and put it away as a three from Ex'Zavia Seaton capped a 13-1 burst that stretched the lead to a game-high 14 points with 1:42 left.
The run also featured four points from Garner and a big three-point play from Moore.
Garner led five Evangels in double-figures with 17 points, with Seaton producing a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Moore finished with 11 points and Tyler Chaisson and Robert Romero each put in 10 points. Malcolm Mann dished out a game-high eight assists.
Keyunta Watkins led all scorers with 28 points for the Lions (20-8, 10-6 SAC), while Adrian Palacios and Isaak Rowe each scored 11 points. Josh Williams had a team-high eight boards for SAGU.
It was definitely a tale of two halves, as the Lions shot 45.7 percent (16-of-35) in the first half and the Evangels shot only 42.9 percent (12-of-28).
But in the second half, the Evangels (15-10, 6-10 SAC) warmed up to a blazing 58.6 percent (17-of-29) clip in the second half, while the Lions cooled down to 40.7 percent (11-of-27).
MACU also outscored the Lions 34-14 in the paint along with a 55-18 edge in bench points.
Next up, the Evangels will play a critical game at St. Gregory's University Thursday night (Feb. 23) at 8 pm in Shawnee, Okla.
With the Evangels now up by one game on SGU in the SAC standings, a win Thursday would clinch a spot in the SAC Postseason Tournament for MACU.
