OKLAHOMA CITY – Time is beginning to run short for the Mid-America Christian University men's basketball team if they want to get back into contention for the Sooner Athletic Conference title. The Evangels were unable to complete a season sweep of Oklahoma City University on Saturday afternoon, and as a result, they slipped into a tie for seventh, three games out of first with six games to play.
MACU (13-9, 7-7 SAC) fell into an early hole against the NAIA #15 Stars (17-5, 10-4 SAC), and for the third time in the last four games, their comeback effort fell short, as OCU took the victory 83-69.
The Stars scored the first five points of the afternoon, but MACU answered immediately with a 9-0 run on 3-pointers from Chinua Massena and Andre Horne. Horne scored on the fast break at the 15:10 mark of the first half to give MACU a 7-point lead at 14-7, but OCU replied with a 17-2 run to take a 24-16 lead with 10:56 to go in the period. Javan Perry made a 3-pointer to trim the MACU deficit to five at 24-19, but OCU quickly dispelled any thoughts of a MACU rally with another 10-0 run, and with 7:29 showing on the first half clock, OCU held a comfortable 37-19 advantage. The Evangels cut the lead to 15 on a layup from Keyshawn Perkins at the 2:13 mark, but the Stars scored the final six points of the frame, and at intermission, OCU held the lead 47-26.
Mid-America opened the second frame with a 14-4 stretch that spanned the first 4:25 of play and trimmed the lead to 11 at 51-40, and by the middle stages of the half, the Evangels had clawed their way back to within seven at 60-53. MACU never was able to get the margin down to two possessions, however, and a 14-3 OCU run put the game on ice. MACU was able to close the gap to 14 by the final buzzer, but OCU emerged victorious 83-69, and they both earned the season split with MACU and held onto a piece of the SAC lead.
MACU had three players score in double-figures, led by Massena who posted a season-high 17 points in the loss. Andre Horne chipped in 16 tallies, and Justin Bogle added 11 markers and grabbed eight rebounds. Perkins led all players in the game with eight assists as well. MACU shot well from the floor in all three phases, making 25-of-55 (45.5%) shots overall, including 12-of-27 (44.4%) from beyond the arc, and at the Charity stripe, MACU was a perfect 7-for-7 in the game. The big differences in the game came on turnovers, where MACU coughed up the ball 17 times compared to only 11 for OCU, and in the paint where OCU racked up eight blocked shots in the game.
MACU will return home on Thursday night for another critical game in the SAC race. The Evangels will welcome in the John Brown University Golden Eagles (13-9, 7-6 SAC) who are currently in a tie for fifth a half-game in front of the Evangels. MACU won the previous meeting between the two teams, and tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Thursday, February 8 at MACU's Gaulke Activity Center.
