OKLAHOMA CITY - The Mid-America Christian University men's basketball team was in need of a victory on Thursday night after two games that went awry and resulted in close losses. While there was some choppiness to the game in stratches, the Evangels got that victory against the Bacone College Warriors at home to snap a short 3-game skid.
MACU (9-6, 2-5 SAC) had eight different players score at least seven points, and the Evangels dominated the glass and used that advantage to outscore Bacone (1-11, 0-8 SAC) 19-5 on second chances to claim their first victory of 2019, 88-62.
The game got off to a slow start, as the first two and a half minutes went by scoreless. Bacone drew first blood, but MACU answered quickly. Britt Hammons scored to tie the game at 2-2, and just less than a minute later Charles Beauregard, Jr. connected on a pair of free throws that gave MACU a lead that they did not relinquish. MACU quickly opened a 9-point lead on a 3-pointer from Dominick Ford with 11:28 to play. Moments later, Khalil Thompson connected on back-to-back 3-pointers - two of his four triples in the opening 20 minutes - and MACU opened a 44-31 lead at the intermission.
MACU scored the first five points of the second half to push the margin to 18 points, and the Evangels kept the Warriors at bay throughout the final 20 minutes. A pair of foul shots from Cade Upshaw at the 10:28 mark of the second stanza put MACU up 20 for the first time, and the lead grew to as many as 28 in the final moments. MACU scored four of the final five points of the night, and MACU claimed the win, 88-62.
A balanced MACU attack saw three players reach double figures, with five others knocking at the door of 10 points. Thompson and Javan Perry each scored a dozen, and Beauregard added 10 tallies in the game. Daniel William and Britt Hammons each scored nine, Upshaw and Zach Sawyer tallied eight points each, and Ford and Justin Bogle scored seven points apiece. William grabbed a team high seven rebounds, Perry had three assists, and Upshaw and Anthony Black both notched four steals.
The Evangels connected on 31 of 72 (43.1%) shots from the field in the game, and 11 of 30 (36.7%) 3-pointers. At the foul line, MACU was 15 for 20 (75%) in the game.
MACU will need to be sharp on Saturday if the Evangels are to win a second straight game. The Evangels will head to Siloam Springs, Arkansas to take on the NAIA #21 John Brown University Golden Eagles (12-4, 6-2 SAC) at Bill George Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.
