OKLAHOMA CITY - Thursday night's game for the Mid-America Christian University men's basketball team was a picture of efficiency for the Evangels.
MACU (4-0) set a blistering pace for themselves, shooting 58.3% from the floor in the first half, and they shot nearly as well after halftime as the Evangels steamrolled the Northern New Mexico Eagles (3-1) 114-78.
MACU's Anthony Black opened the scoring just 40 second into the game, and it sparked a 6-0 spurt for MACU to open the game. Justin Bogle scored a bucket with 14:58 to play in the first half, and that shot put MACU up 17-7 and helped spark a huge first half from Bogle. The senior from Brooklyn, New York went of for 17 points in the first half of play on 7-of-8 shooting including a perfect 3-for-3 from long distance, and MACU led at the half 59-40.
The Eagles opened the second half on a 12-2 run which closed the gap to 61-52 with 16:53 to play in the game, but MACU regained the momentum and the Evangels put the game away. MACU rattled off 19 straight points in a span of 3:31 to open an 85-57 lead, and the Evangels never looked back. The MACU lead reached as many as 37 points, and when the final buzzer sounded, MACU claimed a 114-78 win.
The 114 points is the most for MACU in a single game since they put up 123 against Philander Smith College (Ark.) at the Gaulke Activity Center on October 28, 2016; and it also marks the first time the Evangels have broken into triple digits in back-to-back games since that same game.
Bogle, Black, and Khalil Thompson each scored 20 points for MACU as six Evangels broke into double-figures. Britt Hammons scored a season high 13 points, which matched the total for Daniel William, and Dominick Ford added a dozen. Charles Beauregard, Jr. scored seven points and grabbed a team-leading 10 rebounds, Cade Upshaw dished out four assists, and Thompson and Black each had a pair of steals.
As a team, MACU made 36-of-69 (52.2%) shots in the game, including 12-of-27 (44.4%) from long distance. At the foul line, the Evangels were 30-for-39 (76.9%), including an impressive 18-for-20 in the second half. MACU also held a 54-44 edge on the glass, and they blocked seven shots in the game.
MACU will wait nine days before resuming their season on November 17 when they welcome the College of the Ozarks (Mo.) (3-2) to the Gaulke Activity Center for a 3 p.m. tip-off.
