GOODWELL, Okla. – The No. 21 Mid-America Christian men's basketball team struggled to overcome being without two of its top players and head coach as the Evangels fell 71-68 in overtime at Anchor D Arena on Thursday night.
 
TOP PERFORMERS

• Caleb Riggs – 16 Points, 6-13 FG, 4-10 3FG, 4 Reb, 2 Steals
• Toni Kumanovic – 15 Points, 3-8 FG, 3-7 3FG, 6-6 FT, 3 Reb, 3 Assists
• Isaiah Hammons – 14 Points, 5-13 FG, 4-5 FT, 9 Reb, 5 Assists, 3 Steals

GAME SUMMARY

• First Half
  • It was a back-and-forth battle through the first 5:25 as the lead exchanged hands five times before the Evangels strung together a 5-1 run off of a Toni Kumanovic three and an Issaiah Hammons steal and layup to make it a 10-7 MACU advantage with 13:39 left.
  • OPSU's Jalen Thomas knocked down a three to bring it even with 12:47 to go, but Tarrence Gaines responded with a three on MACU's ensuing possession to push the Evangels back into the lead.
  • Mid-America Christian eventually built its lead to five with some dominant defense following a Caleb Riggs three at the 9:12 mark before draining another three with 5:43 to go to make it a 21-16 edge.
  • After going cold for a 6:30 stretch, Panhandle State caught fire after a DK Sumo three, rattling off eight unanswered to grab a 24-21 lead with 4:20 remaining.
  • The Evangels drew it back even a minute later after Kumanovic nailed another three to make it 26-all before Hammons pushed MACU back in-front with a layup at the 2:08 mark.
  • OPSU's Alfred Alkannama tied it back up on the following possession before Omar Boone gave MACU the edge on a lay-in with just over a minute left. However, Alkannama was able to get one more score in the final minute to send the game into the half with a 30-all tie.
• Second Half
  • The two teams were once again evenly matched through the first three minutes, but Panhandle seized control off of a Justin Pile layup followed by an Antanas Tamulis tip-in, bring it to 38-34 with 15:56 to go.
  • Nearing the midway point of the half, the MACU defense quieted the Aggies as three-pointers by Gaines and Riggs gave the Evangels the lead back before Kumanovic knocked down a pair of free throws to extend the edge to 45-40 with 10:38 left.
  • OPSU tallied six straight to take back the lead before Hammons helped jumpstart an 8-3 run, scoring five points on his own off of two free throws and a three-point play prior to Kumanovic knocking down another three to extend it to 53-49 with 7:53 on the clock.
  • Following another five straight by the Aggies, the two squads exchanged leads four more times before stretched its advantage back out to four off of a Riggs layup and a Jasiah Lewis triple, bringing it to 65-61 with 2:10 remaining.
  • The Evangels struggled to put the game away over the final few minutes as the Aggies managed to tie it up before having a potential game-winner at the buzzer just missing, sending it to overtime locked up at 65.
• Overtime
  • Mid-America Christian got off to a promising start in the overtime period when Riggs came up with a steal at midcourt and laid it in to grab a 67-65 edge on the first possession of the extra session.
  • The Aggies tied it up on the ensuing possession off a pair of Auston Chatman free throws before gaining the lead 69-67 on an Alkannama jumper with 3:16 left.
  • With it sitting at a one-point game in the final 30 seconds, it appeared the Evangels got a crucial defensive stop but after trying to outlet a pass to Riggs with 13 seconds left, Sumo came up with a crucial steal, forcing the Evangels to foul.
  • MACU had one last chance to tie after Sumo knocked down both free throws, but Kumanovic's attempt at a buzzer beater was just off-target as the Aggies secured the 71-68 victory.

GAME NOTES

• Offensively, Mid-America Christian could only muster 22-for-61 (36.1 percent) from the field and 10-of-29 (34.5 percent) from three while converting 14-for-20 (70 percent) from the charity stripe.
• The Evangels were also able to defensively frustrate the Aggies, limiting OPSU to 25-for-68 (36.8 percent) and just 4-for-22 (18.2 percent) from three. However, OPSU was able to get to the foul line often by knocking down 17-of-25 (68 percent).
• OPSU controlled the glass, outrebounding the Evangels 48-37 and committed 15 turnovers to 18 for MACU.
• Four Evangels cracked into double-figures, led by Caleb Riggs with 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting and went 4-for-10 from three to go with four rebounds and a pair of steals.
• Toni Kumanovic poured in a career-high 15 points off the MACU bench on 3-of-8 from the field, 3-for-7 from beyond the arc and 6-of-6 from the foul line. The Croatan guard also led the team with three assists to go with three rebounds.
• Isaiah Hammons narrowly missed a double-double with 14 points to go with a team-leading nine rebounds and three steals before fouling out while Jasiah Lewis added 10 points on 4-for-9 shooting.
• Mid-America Christian was dealt a tough blow coming into the game as the Evangels were without their All-American forward Terrance Jones due to a knee injury and starting point guard Tony Dorsey due to an ankle injury suffered last week. MACU was also without head coach Josh Gamblin, who was not able to be at the contest due to contracting the flu.

UP NEXT

• Mid-America Christian will be looking to bounce back on Saturday as the Evangels will head to Plainview, Texas to take on Wayland Baptist. Tip-off is slated for 3:45 p.m. inside the Hutcherson Center.