FORT WORTH, Texas - The Mid-America Christian University men's basketball team played another low scoring affair on Saturday afternoon at Texas Wesleyan University. Both teams struggled to shoot the basketball, and as the seconds ticked away, MACU endured an ill-timed cold streak that allowed the Rams to come from behind for the win.
MACU (8-4, 1-3 SAC) held a 61-59 lead with just 6:08 to play in the game, but the Rams went on an 8-0 run and the Evangels went scoreless for more than three minutes, as Texas Wesleyan (7-5, 2-2 SAC) rallied to take the win 78-96.
Texas Wesleyan opened the game on an 11-2 run over the first three minutes of the contest, but MACU rallied and closed the margin to 16-12 on a bucket from Britt Hammons at the 12:39 mark. A 7-0 Rams run that pushed their lead to 23-12 was quickly answered by a 12-1 stretch for MACU that pulled MACU to within a single point with 5:20 to play in the opening half. MACU rode that momentum to score 10 of the final 14 points ofthe frame, and at the intermission, the Evangels led 35-31.
The second half was a back and forth, low-scoring affair for most of the period. The lead changed hands 11 times in the second half, and the score was tied four times as well, as both teams struggled to build any momentum in the game. With 6:08 to play, Khalil Thompson scored on a running floater to give MACU the 61-59 lead, and that proved to be the last lead MACU claimed in the game. Moments later, a 3-point shot from Texas Wesleyan's Peyton Sallee gave the Rams the lead, and from the 6:08 mark until a 3-pointer from Justin Bogle with 2:51 to play, MACU missed six straight shots and added an additional turnover.
The triple from Bogle that snapped the run pulled MACU back to within a possession, though, at 67-64. After a 3-point play from the Rams' Julian Torres pushed the lead back to six, William Gibbons stroked a right corner three to again cut the margin to three, this time with 2:17 to play. That proved to be the closest MACU was able to get in the final moments, however, as the Rams scored the next seven points on their way to the 78-69 win.
Charles Beauregard, Jr. led all scorers with 14 points in the game, and Daniel William joined him in double figures for MACU with a dozen. Beauregard, Jr. also led the Evangels' efforts on the glass, grabbing a team-leading nine boards, and Anthony Black dished out five assists.
MACU struggled from the floor, making only 22 of 63 (34.9%) shots and 10 of 29 (34.5%) 3-pointers, but they stayed in the game at the foul line where they connected on 15 of 18 (83.3%) tries.
The Evangels have one exhibition contest left in the 2018 portion of the schedule. MACU will hit the road for Wichita Falls, Texas on Monday evening to take on the Mustangs of Midwestern State University (3-6) at 7 p.m.
