OKLAHOMA CITY – The Mid-America Christian University Women's Basketball Evangels will be hosting the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Central Regional tournament beginning tomorrow (Mar. 10) inside the Gaulke Activity Center.
The Evangels will face Ecclesia College (Ark.) tomorrow at 5 pm, followed by Southwestern Christian University matching up with Crowley's Ridge College (Ark.) at 7 pm.
The winners of those two games will play for the regional title Saturday (Mar. 11) at 1 pm.
The following is a preview of all four teams competing in the regional.
The Dish on the Evangels:
The Evangels, the fourth-ranked team in the NCCAA, are 20-11 under first-year coach Hannah Moeller, marking the first 20 win season since the program became an NAIA school in 2007.
Sarai Rodriguez leads the Evangels with 20.2 ppg and has hit a team-high 85 threes on the season. Both her 20.2 ppg and 585 points overall are a single-season record for the Evangels as an NAIA school.
Mikki Flores is second in scoring with 12.4 ppg and has dished out a single-season high (as an NAIA school) 172 assists. D'Shala Powell leads the Evangels with 6.4 rebounds per game this season.
The Dish on the Royals:
The Ecclesia College Royals show a record of 13-6 and are coached by Dean Skinner, who is in his 29th year of coaching, with 19 years at the collegiate level.
Scoring Frenzy: The semifinal matchup between the Evangels and Royals will feature a showdown between the top two scorers in the NCCAA. Rodriguez leads the way with 20.2 ppg, followed by the Royals' Lindsay Bryan at 19.8 ppg.
The Dish on the Lady Eagles:
The Southwestern Christian University Lady Eagles are 10th in the latest NCCAA rankings and are 15-14 overall.
The Lady Eagles are coached by Mark Arthur in his second year at the helm. Arthur previously had coached the SCU Men's Basketball squad for 20 years.
Eliora Johnson leads SCU in both scoring (15.4 ppg) and rebounding (9.2 rpg), while Maranda Janz is second in scoring with 14.9 ppg. Andi McGill has recorded a team-high 131 assists on the season.
The Dish on the Lady Pioneers:
The Crowley's Ridge Lady Pioneers, under the guidance of head coach Tye Clothier, are 12-18 overall this season. The Lady Pioneers finished the regular season on a two-game winning streak, including a 79-67 win over Ecclesia.
Hannah Willard leads the Lady Pioneers in scoring with 16.9 ppg, followed by Emily Eaker at 11.8 ppg. Elly Burrell has a team-high 8.6 rebounds for CRC, with Tessa Johnson posting a team-best 114 assists.
