OKLAHOMA CITY – An incredible buzzer-beating jumper by Terrance Jones at the end of regulation to force overtime ignited a stellar performance in extra session as the Mid-America Christian men's basketball team picked up its second straight win against an NAIA top 10 team, this time toppling No. 8 Bethel (Kan.) 92-84 inside the Gaulke Activity Center on Saturday night.
 
TOP PERFORMERS

• Terrance Jones – 34 Points, 15-25 FG, 4-5 FT, 8 Reb
• Isaiah Hammons – 28 Points, 9-17 FG, 2-6 3FG, 8-10 FT, 6 Reb, 4 Steals, 3 Assists
• Jasiah Lewis – 10 Points, 2-4 3FG, 4 Reb

GAME SUMMARY

• First Half
  • Mid-America Christian struggled on the offensive end in the early going as the Evangels were unable to get their first score until Terrance Jones was able to get an offensive rebound and put-back with 15:04 to go just before Bethel's Jaylon Scott knocked down a three to give the Threshers a 10-2 advantage.
  • A steal by Omar Boone leading to an Isaiah Hammons fastbreak layup ignited the Evangels offense, rattling off seven unanswered behind a Quentin Woodson layup and Boone's very own three-point play to cut it to a 10-9 deficit with just under 12 minutes left.
  • A Jordan Neely three and another and-one, this time by Hammons kept the Evangels to within one before the Threshers knocked down a trio of three-pointers during an 11-2 run to push their lead back out to 24-14 with 8:45 remaining.
  • Hammons knocked down a three after notching a steal to help MACU stem the tide as the Evangels countered with a 14-6 run. Jasiah Lewis drained a three with 5:22 on the clock to pull MACU back to within two at 30-28.
  • Bethel managed to push their advantage back out to six before the Evangels defensively clamped down over the final 3:24. MACU ended the half with a 7-1 run, capped off on a Jones jumper on its final possession to draw it even at 35 at the halftime break.
• Second Half
  • Unlike the first half, the Evangels were able to get off to a quick start to the second as MACU went on a 12-3 through the first four minutes. A Lewis three with 16:09 left gave MACU its largest lead of the contest at 47-38.
  • MACU maintained at least a two possession lead over the next four minutes before the Threshers went on a 7-0 run as Jordan Neely's three cut the MACU advantage to just one at 55-54 with 10:39 remaining.
  • Jones and Hammons combined to score six straight to push the Evangels' edge back to three possessions, but BC knocked down a pair of threes during a 6-1 pushback to bring it to 62-60 with 8:05 left.
  • Mid-America Christian managed to hold control over the next four minutes, but Bethel scored six straight as a Scott three gave the Threshers their first lead of the half at 72-71 with 4:04 to go.
  • The two teams traded leads over the next four minutes as both defenses clamped down before a Clifford Byrd free throw with 29 seconds to go pushed the BC lead out to 75-73.
  • MACU was unable to score on the ensuing possession and were forced to foul the Threshers top player in Scott with 10 seconds left. However, Scott missed both his free throws and MACU came down with the defensive rebound, giving the Evangels one last chance to tie or take the lead.
  • With four seconds left on an inbound pass, Tony Dorsey was able to find Jones as he dribbled down the left side and hit an incredible fadeaway 14-foot jumper with two seconds left to tie the game at 75 and force overtime.
• Overtime
  • Bethel struggled to slow down Jones in the OT period, as she scored the Evangels first eight points to give MACU the 83-79 edge with 2:37 to go.
  • Mid-America Christian managed to extend its lead to six on Dorsey's put-back and a pair of Hammons free throws before Byrd pushed it back to two possessions on a layup with 58 seconds left to bring the score to 87-83.
  • MACU clamped down defensively over the final minute, allowing just one Threshers free throw the rest of the way while closing out with a 5-1 run with Hammons wrapping it up with a steal and fastbreak dunk to secure the 92-84 victory.

GAME NOTES

• While Bethel managed to shoot for a higher percentage, knocking down 30-for-61 (49.2 percent) from the field and 12-of-30 (40 percent) from three to just 36-of-76 (47.4 percent) shooting 6-for-21 (28.6 percent) from three for the Evangels, MACU was able to take advantage of second chance opportunities, recording 14 offensive rebounds to just nine for the Threshers and committed just 13 turnovers to BC's 16.
• MACU was also able to take advantage of its opportunities from the foul line, knocking down 14-of-20 (70 percent) of its attempts while the Threshers could only connect on 12-of-20 (60 percent).
• The offensive performance from Terrance Jones was a historic one. The 34 points he scored not only set a new career-high for the senior combo guard/forward from Dallas, but his point-total also matched Reggie Davis (Jan. 18, 2014) and Brandon Williams (Mar. 12, 2010) for the 10^th-most points scored in the game since the program joined the NAIA in 2007.
• Isaiah Hammons continued to be the sparkplug off the MACU bench as he finished with 28 points on 9-of-17 shooting and 2-for-6 from three while also efficiently knocking down 8-for-10 from the charity stripe. Hammons also finished the game with four steals on the defensive end to go with three assists.
• Jasiah Lewis was the lone other Evangel to crack into double-figures with 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting and 2-for-4 from three-point range.
• On-top of being the team's leading scorer, Jones finished with a team-high eight rebounds while Tony Dorsey led the team with six assists.
• With the win, Mid-America Christian picked up its second straight win against an opponent ranked in the top 10 of the NAIA after topping No. 6 LSU-Shreveport 78-72 on the road on Monday. The last time MACU picked up back-to-back wins over top 10 teams, the Evangels topped No. 10 John Brown 73-59 on Jan. 4, 2020 before coming away with a 73-58 win at No. 9 Wayland Baptist on Jan. 9, 2020.
• Mid-America Christian improved to 4-0 on the season with the victory while Bethel fell to 3-1.

UP NEXT

• Mid-America Christian will return to the road on Tuesday, Nov. 9 as the Evangels will head to Muskogee, Okla. to take on Bacone for a 6 p.m. tipoff.