OKLAHOMA CITY – The MACU men's basketball team will face a bitter rival in its final home game of 2022 as the Evangels will square off against Science & Arts (Okla.) for a 7:45 p.m. tip-off inside the Gaulke Activity Center on Thursday night.
 
MACU SEASON REPORT

• Record: 3-6 (1-3 SAC)
• Last Game: Lost at No. 16 Wayland Baptist (Texas) – 78-68 – Dec. 3, 2022 – Plainview, Texas
• Stat Leaders:
  • Points: DaRaun Clark (120, 17.1), Eylan Goodwyn (86, 9.6), Seth Hurd (76, 8.4)
  • FG% (Min. 3 FGM/G): Seth Hurd (35-63, 55.6), Eylan Goodwyn (28-54, 51.9), DaRaun Clark (32-85, 37.6)
  • 3FG% (Min. 1 3FGM/G): Conner Calavan (18-43, 41.9), Jonathan Alexandre (9-34, 26.5)
  • FT% (Min. 2 FTM/G): Eylan Goodwyn (23-26, 88.5), DaRaun Clark (50-65, 76.9)
  • Reb: Tarrence Gaines (65, 7.2), Quentin Woodson (33, 3.7), Eylan Goodwyn (32, 3.6)
  • Assists: Jaylon Barnett (30, 3.4), Trevonte Doolittle (15, 1.7), Tarrence Gaines (11, 1.2)
  • Steals: Jaylon Barnett (12, 1.3), DaRaun Clark (7, 1.0), Tarrence Gaines (7, 0.8)
  • Blocks: Tarrence Gaines (8, 0.9), Three Tied (3)
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian overcame a difficult start at No. 16 Wayland Baptist last Saturday as the Evangels had to battle back from a 41-16 deficit late in the first half, but the Evangels went into the half with the momentum after chiseling the Pioneers lead down to 42-26 on Conner Calavan's buzzer-beating three. Wayland Baptist built its advantage back out to 21 early in the second half, but the Evangels outscored WBU 31-16 over a 12-minute stretch to close it to two possessions at 70-64 on another Calavan triple with 2:56 to go. However, the Evangels were unable to come any closer as Wayland Baptist held off MACU for the 78-68 win.
  • Sophomore guard Tarrence Gaines helped lead the MACU comeback efforts with a team-high 15 points and also posted his first career double-double with a career-best 14 rebounds.
  • MACU posted four players in double-figures as DaRaun Clark finished with 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting while Eylan Goodwyn and Calavan each chipped in 11 apiece.
  • The Evangels were able to salvage a split on the western road trip after picking up their first SAC win of the season in a 70-67 battle at Oklahoma Panhandle State on Dec. 1.

SCOUTING REPORT
Science & Arts (Okla.)

• Record: 5-4 (3-1 SAC)
• Last Game: Lost vs. UNT-Dallas – 104-101 – Dec. 3, 2022 – Chickasha, Okla.
• Series vs. MACU (2008-): MACU leads 17-16
• Last Game vs. MACU: USAO won 73-68 – Jan. 29, 2022 – Gaulke Activity Center
• Players to Watch:
  • Samkelo Cele – SR - G
    • 170 Points (18.9 ppg), 64-130 FG (49.2%), 14-39 3FG (35.9%), 28-38 FT (73.7%), 42 Reb (4.7 rpg), 13 Steals (1.4 spg)
  • Gerard Makuntae – SR – G
    • 165 Points (18.3 ppg), 62-112 FG (55.4%), 16-42 3FG (38.1%), 25-30 FT (83.3%), 80 Reb (8.9 rpg), 19 Assists (2.1 apg), 13 Steals (1.4 spg), 15 Blocks (1.7 bpg)
  • Langston Gaither – SR – G
    • 122 Points (15.3 ppg), 42-95 FG (44.2%), 7-29 3FG (24.1%), 31-40 FT (77.5%), 43 Reb (5.4 rpg), 18 Assists (2.3 apg), 8 Steals (1.0 spg)
• Team Notes:
  • After opening Sooner Athletic Conference play on a strong note with three straight wins, including an 83-68 win over (RV) Southwestern Assemblies of God (Texas) last Thursday, the Drovers suffered a tough 104-101 loss to UNT-Dallas on Saturday. After Langston Gaither knocked down the game-tying layup with 5.4 seconds left, UNTD's Curtis Coleman was fouled on his buzzer-beating three-point attempt as he knocked down all three attempts to seal the win.
  • Science & Arts comes into the contest as a prolific scoring team, ranking fourth in the SAC and 24^th in the NAIA in scoring average at 87.0 points per game. The Drovers have especially been tough from the three-point arc as USAO ranks third in the conference three-point shooting, going 100-for-286 (35.0 percent) from range.
  • The Drovers feature a tough backcourt tandem in senior guards Samkelo Cele and Gerard Makuntae. The two players rank third and fourth in the SAC in scoring average at 18.9 and 18.3 ppg. Makuntae has especially been tough to stop as he is putting up the 12^th-best shooting percentage in the conference at 55.4.
  • Mid-America Christian will be looking to try and snap a five-game losing streak to the Drovers. The last time the two teams met inside the Gaulke Activity Center on Jan. 29, the Evangels narrowly missed upsetting the then No. 15 ranked team in the country. However, following a pair of Omar Boone free throws that drew it even at 65, USAO closed out the contest with an 8-3 run over the final 2:24 to seal a 73-68 final. Kendall Scott put up a huge game in the defeat, leading the Evangels with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting to go with 15 rebounds and a pair of blocked shots.