CHICKASHA, Okla. - For much of the second half of the season, the Mid-America Christian University men's basketball team has been waiting for a shooting night like they experienced on Tuesday night.
MACU (14-10, 7-9 SAC) blistered the nets at better than a 50% clip from both inside and outside in the second half of their game at the University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma (15-8, 9-7 SAC), helping MACU pull away to a lopsided win, 83-64.
From the Evangels' second possession, the indicators were there that this night would be different. William Gibbons buried the first of his five 3-pointers in the game just 46 seconds into the night, and that was just the beginning for him. Gibbons made three more treys in the first half, and MACU made six shots from beyond the arc as a team in the opening 20 minutes, but the Evangels struggled to get separation on the scoreboard. The Evangels' largest first half lead was six, and the score changed hands 13 times in the first stanza. MACU kept battling, though, and when the dust settled from a high-intensity first frame, MACU held the 36-35 lead headed to the break.
USAO claimed the lead on a pair of free throws 22 seconds into the second half, but MACU reclaimed the lead on a bucket from Dominick Ford, and they began methodically expanding that advantage. Gibbons converted a traditional 3-point play with 16:08 to go that pushed the Evangels' lead to seven at 48-41, and four minutes later, Daniel William did the same to give MACU a double-digit lead for the first time. Charles Beauregard, Jr. got into the act with a pair of threes as a part of a 15-2 run the helped MACU break the game open in the middle stages of the second half. Gibbons and Anthony Black buried consecutive long range buckets to push MACU's lead to 21 with just over five minutes remaining, and the Evangels stretched the lead all the way out to 26 before coasting home with the 83-64 win.
Gibbons posted a career-high 20 points and he was 5-for-5 from behind the 3-point line in the game - also a career best. He tied a career high with eight rebounds as well, and he only missed one shot in the game - a 2-point jumper early in the second half. Beauregare, Jr. added 17 points in the game, Black tallied a dozen, and Ford added 11 in the win.
MACU made 30 of 65 (46.2%) shots in the game, including 13 of 32 (40.6%) from long distance, but in the final 20 minutes, those numbers were even higher. MACU's second half shooting was 17-for-33 (51.5%) from the floor and 7-for-13 (53.8%) from long range. At the foul line, MACU was 10-for-15 (66.7%) in the game.
The Evangels will come home on Thursday night looking to clinch a .500 record for the season with a victory when they host the Central Christian College of Kansas Tigers (11-11, 5-10 SAC). Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m.
