OKLAHOMA CITY – The Mid-America Christian University men's basketball team entered their game with Bacone College on Thursday night hoping to snap a three game losing streak, but despite the recent struggles, the Evangels were just two games out of first place in the Sooner Athletic Conference as the start of the evening. Thanks to a strong shooting performance, the Evangels chopped a game off that deficit, as things continue to tighten at the top of the SAC standings.
MACU (11-6, 5-4 SAC) spread the scoring wealth around, as five players reached double-figures for the Evangels in their 86-77 win over the Warriors (3-15, 0-9 SAC). The win kept MACU in a three-way tie for fifth place in the SAC, but they are one of seven teams within one game of the lead in the Conference.
MACU struggled shooting from distance early, and Bacone took advantage and built an 11-3 lead in the first 4:09 of the first half. MACU turned their focus inside, and they began to whittle away as Jordan Rhodes six straight points to cut the MACU deficit to 11-8 in just under two minutes. The Warriors continued to hold the lead, but at the 9:20 mark, Andre Horne connected on the Evangels' first 3-point field goal, and that signaled a turning point for the Evangels. Horne and Cade Upshaw buried three straight long range buckets, claiming the lead for MACU with 8:08 to play and forcing Bacone into a timeout. The 3-point barrage came as a part of an 18-2 MACU run that saw the Evangels open a 10-point lead with 5:20 to go in the first half, and at the break, MACU led 44-37.
MACU continued to lead by a similar margin for the first five and a half minutes of the second period, but a 7-0 run from the Warriors tied the score at 51 with 14:24 to go in the game. Twice in the middle stages of the second half, the Evangels rebuilt moderate leads, only to see Bacone close the gap quickly. MACU did piece together an 8-2 run to claim a 10-point lead with 4:05 to play, but the Warriors refused to go quietly. Bacone scored six straight points to pull within four at 79-75, but in the final three minutes, MACU took control, easing out to the nine-point victory.
Horne led the way for MACU, scoring 18 on a perfect shooting night (6-for-6 FG, 4-for-4 3-Pt, 2-for-2 FT), finishing one point clear of Rhodes for the team lead. Therence Mayimba poured in 15 points, Javan Perry added 13, and Keyshawn Perkins chipped in 11 in the win along with six rebounds and six assists. Mayimba grabbed a team-high eight boards. MACU made 28-of-50 (56%) shots from the floor in the game, including 12-of-27 (44.4%) from beyond the arc. At the charity stripe, MACU was 18-for-27 (66.7%).
The Evangels will head on the road for a critical SAC game on Saturday, heading to John Brown University (10-7, 5-4 SAC). Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m.
