POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. - Defense was the order of the day for the Mid-America Christian University women's basketball team on Saturday afternoon.
The Evangels (5-0) held Cumberland University (Tenn) (1-4) to just 28% (7-for-25) shooting in the first half, including an 0-for-7 mark from deep, and MACU raced out to a 44-17 halftime lead on their way to an 85-61 win.
Cumberland opened the scoring as Kerrice Watson converted a conventional 3-point play 43 seconds into the game, and it took just over four minutes for the Evangels to draw even at 5-5. The tie score came on a 3-point bucket from Alexis Shannon that sparked a 7-0 MACU run that gave MACU a 9-5 lead, and at the end of the first quarter, MACU led 15-11 in a low scoring frame.
The second quarter was all MACU. The Evangels opened the stanza on an 8-0 run, and they never looked back. Beginning with a long range shot from Nevada Denton with 7:31 to play in the quarter, MACU went on a 13-0 run that stretched their lead to 36-13, and another 8-1 run to close the first half gave the Evangels a 27-point halftime lead, 44-17, as the Evangels held the Phoenix to just 2-for-11 shooting in the quarter.
With the Evangels leading 48-22 early in the third quarter, a 9-2 run helped MACU open a 31-point lead, and the advantage swelled to 65-30 with 45 seconds left in the third period, and the frame ended with the Evangels in front 67-33. The Phoenix did out-score the Evangels 28-18 in the quarter, but by that point, the game had been decided, and MACU cruised home with an 85-61 win.
Shannon led MACU with 17 points, and she was one of five Evangels to score in double-figures. Shaylan Coleman chipped in 15 points along with five rebounds and seven assists, Loralei Siliga added a dozen tallies, and Denton and Jessica Fairley contributed 10 points apiece. Siliga grabbed six rebounds to lead MACU on the glass.
As a team, MACU made 31-of-67 (46.3%) shots in the game, including 9-of-20 (45%) from beyond the arc. At the free throw line, MACU was 14-for-19 (73.3%), and the Evangels out-rebounded the Phoenix 42-38.
MACU will be off next week for the Thanksgiving holiday, and they will return to action on November 29 when they open Sooner Athletic Conference play. On that evening, the Evangels will head to Goodwell, Oklahoma to take on the Oklahoma Panhandle State University Aggies (3-2, 0-0) at 6 p.m.
