OKLAHOMA CITY – The No. 2 Mid-America Christian men's basketball team will be looking to close out its three-game home stand with a pair of wins as the Evangels host Oklahoma Panhandle State at 7:45 p.m. on Thursday before taking on Wayland Baptist at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8 inside the Gaulke Activity Center.
LAST TIME OUT
Mid-America Christian (21-1, 11-1 Sooner Athletic Conference) opened the week with a dominant performance against Science & Arts as the Evangels cruised to a 98-70 victory at home on Jan. 28. Junior forward Terrance Jones led six Evangels in double-figures with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting to go with six rebounds. By picking up the win, MACU won its 20th straight game to become the longest winning streak since the Evangels won 19 consecutive to win the NCCAA Division II National Championship during the 2003-04 season.
However, MACU's incredible winning streak came to an unfortunate end on Thursday, Jan. 30 as the Evangels went into a raucous Bill George Arena in Siloam Springs, Ark. and fell 81-74 to No. 10 John Brown. Senior reserve guard D'von Moore tried to help lead a rally from 16-points down by scoring a team-high 23 points on 7-of-14 shooting and 4-for-10 from three-point range, but the Evangels comeback efforts fell just short.
The Evangels looked to start a new winning streak at home against Bacone College on Saturday as MACU jumped out to a 47-25 halftime lead before cruising to a 93-63 win. Senior guard/forward Ashford Golden led five Evangels in double-figures with 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting, including 4-for-8 from three while Dominick Ford sank 5-for-6 from beyond the arc to tab 16 points.
SCOUTING THE AGGIES
Oklahoma Panhandle State will enter Thursday night's contest with a 4-16 record, which includes an 0-12 mark against SAC foes. Last week, the Aggies dropped a pair of home games to ranked opponents, falling 98-64 to No. 22 Southwestern Assemblies of God on Jan. 30 prior to an 86-67 defeat to No. 19 Texas Wesleyan on Feb. 1.
After missing some action in early January, the Aggies leading scorer D.K. Sumo IV is back and is averaging 13.8 points per game on a 43.2 percent shooting clip. Junior forward Daniel Holyfield and sophomore guard/forward Quentin Fankhouse lead OPSU on the glass as each have ripped down 114 boards (5.7 rpg). Freshman guard Jalen Williams will run the point for the Aggies, dishing out a team-best 60 assists (3 apg).
On the defensive side of the ball, Williams the squad's leader with 32 steals with Sumo adding 30 while Holyfield is team's top shot blocker at 21.
HISTORY WITH THE AGGIES
Since Oklahoma Panhandle State joined the Sooner Athletic Conference in 2017, the Aggies hold a 3-2 edge in the series. However, Mid-America Christian will be looking to tie the series with a second straight after defeating OPSU 79-56 in Goodwell back on Jan. 11. In that contest, the Evangels dominated the Aggies in the first half, outscoring OPSU 45-22 before cruising to the victory. Terrance Jones led MACU with 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go with six rebounds.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Wayland Baptist heads into its matchup with Science & Arts on Thursday night with a 13-8 record and a 6-6 mark in Sooner Athletic Conference play. Last week, the Pioneers dropped a pair of games on their home court to No. 19 Texas Wesleyan 88-81 before falling to No. 22 Southwestern Assemblies of God by a score of 96-83.
The Pioneers are led on the offensive end by conference's leading scorer, J.J. Culver. The senior guard is averaging 24.4 ppg on 45.7 percent shooting with a team-high 60 made three-pointers. Culver also leads the team on the glass (121, 5.8 rpg) as well as assists (61, 2.9 apg) and is the SAC leader in steals (60, 2.9 spg). Senior forward Jack Nobles is pitching in 13.7 ppg in the low block while junior center Jibril Washington is the squad's best shot blocker with 30.
HISTORY WITH THE PIONEERS
Since 2007, Wayland Baptist holds a 17-10 edge in the series. Mid-America Christian will be seeking its second straight against the Pioneers after the Evangels rallied from a six-point halftime deficit to come away with a 73-58 victory. In that comeback, MACU was stellar from three and the free throw line in the second half, gunning 7-of-13 (53.9 percent) from behind the arc and converting 15-for-17 (88.2 percent) from the charity stripe while the Pioneers struggled on a 1-for-7 (14.3 percent) three-point shooting clip and made just 4-for-11 (36.4 percent) from the foul line.
POLL POSITION
Despite suffering its first loss of the 2019-20 season last Thursday, the Mid-America Christian men's basketball team continued to maintain its No. 2 spot in the NAIA Top 25 Poll released on Wednesday. The Evangels have held the position since Jan. 15 and have been ranked in the top three since Nov. 25, 2019, skyrocketing to the spot from No. 18 in the NAIA Preseason Poll. Impressively, the Evangels hold a 4-1 record against teams currently ranked in the NAIA Top 25 and are 5-1 against teams that were at the time ranked in the Top 25. A third of MACU's victories this season have come against teams that were ranked at any given point of the season.
OH BABY, A TRIPLE!
In MACU's 93-63 victory over Bacone, the Evangels splashed 17 three-pointers, the third-most MACU has made in a single game during the NAIA era. Of those 17 triples, Dominick Ford sank 5-for-6 from three, Ashford Golden splashed 4-for-6 and D'von Moore drained 3-for-5 from off the MACU bench. By shooting 57.1 percent from three in the contest, the Evangels continued to build upon its 40.8 percent rate for the season, which ranks first in the Sooner Athletic Conference and seventh nationally. MACU is currently on-pace to surpass the program's NAIA era three-point percentage record of 37.6 set by the 2013-14 squad.
