OKLAHOMA CITY – The MACU men's basketball team will play three home games before the Christmas break, opening the stretch with a battle against Sooner Athletic Conference rival Science & Arts at 7 p.m. inside the Gaulke Activity Center on Monday night.
 
SEASON REPORT

• Record: 5-2 (2-1 SAC)
• Last Game: Won at Texas Wesleyan – 59-51 – Dec. 7, 2023 – Fort Worth, Texas
• Stat Leaders:
  • Points: Eddie Smith (90, 12.9 ppg), Magok Manyang (72, 10.3 ppg), Jasiah Lewis (68, 9.7 ppg)
  • FG% (M-A, %): Magok Manyang (22-41, 53.7%), Seth Hurd (26-55, 47.3%), Jasiah Lewis (23-51, 45.1%)
  • 3FG% (M-A, %): Magok Manyang (11-25, 44.0%), Eddie Smith (11-28, 39.3%), Mikel Henderson (13-51, 25.5%)
  • FT% (M-A, %): Magok Manyang (17-22, 77.3%), Eddie Smith (13-17, 76.5%), Jasiah Lewis (17-24, 70.8%)
  • Rebounds: DeAngelo Adkins (50, 7.1 rpg), Magok Manyang (46, 6.6 rpg), Seth Hurd (32, 5.3 rpg)
  • Assists: Jasiah Lewis (18, 2.6 apg), Mikel Henderson (16, 2.3 apg), Eddie Smith (14, 2.0 apg)
  • Steals: DeAngelo Adkins (19, 2.7 spg), Eddie Smith (14, 2.0 spg), Two Tied (9)
  • Blocks: Magok Manyang (7, 1.0 bpg), DeAngelo Adkins (4, 0.6 bpg)
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian put together a stifling defensive effort in its road win at Texas Wesleyan on Dec. 7, holding the Rams to just 51 points, the sixth-fewest points the Evangels have allowed in the NAIA Era (2007-present) while rallying from 10 down to come away with a 59-51 road win inside the Sid Richardson Center.
  • The MACU perimeter defense frustrated the Rams into shooting a season-worst 26.7 percent from three-point range. The Evangels defense ranks first in the SAC in nearly every major statistical category, including: scoring defense (58.4 ppg), field goal defense (34.7 percent) and second three-point field goals defense (29.6 percent).
  • MACU found itself down by 10 points at one point in the first half against the Rams, but two huge runs played the biggest factor in the contest. Late in the first half, the Evangels pieced together a 10-1 run over a 2:33 stretch to cut it to a three-point game going into the break before stringing together a 20-4 run over a 7:41 stretch in the second half.
  • MACU's guard play came up big for the Evangels as the tandem of Jasiah Lewis, Mikel Henderson and Eddie Smith combined to score 35 of MACU's 59 points.

SCOUTING REPORT
(RV) Science & Arts (Okla.)

• Record: 7-2 (2-1 SAC)
• Last Game: Won at Southwestern Christian (Okla.) – 96-93 – Dec. 9, 2023 – Bethany, Okla.
• Series vs MACU (2007-): USAO leads 18-17
• Last Game vs MACU: USAO won 64-63 – Feb. 2, 2023 – Gaulke Activity Center
• Series Streak: USAO won 7
• Players to Watch:
  • Reggie Quezada – SR – G
    • 172 Points (19.1 ppg), 64-119 FG (53.8%), 21-50 3FG (42.0%), 23-29 FT (79.3%), 44 Reb (4.9 rpg), 29 Assists (3.2 apg), 9 Steals (1.0 spg)
  • Anthony Ray – SR – G/F
    • 129 Points (14.3 ppg), 45-89 FG (50.6%), 10-26 3FG (38.5%), 29-34 FT (85.3%), 26 Reb (2.9 rpg), 19 Assists (2.1 apg)
  • Rory Pantophlet – SR – F
    • 80 Points (10.0 ppg), 32-48 FG (66.7%), 16-22 FT (72.7%), 56 Reb (7.0 rpg), 5 Blocks (0.6 bpg)
• Team Notes:
  • Science & Arts rallied from 15 points down in the second half to force overtime at Southwestern Christian on Saturday before holding on for a 96-93 overtime win.
  • Monday's match will feature the SAC's top scoring offense against the top scoring defense as the Drovers lead the league at 88.0 ppg while shooting a very efficient 50.8 percent from the field.
  • Leading the Drovers offensively this season is NCAA Division II Angelo State transfer, senior guard Reggie Quezada, who is scoring at a 19.1 ppg clip while shooting 53.8 percent from the field and 42.0 percent from three. Another senior guard/forward transfer from Johnson & Wales in Anthony Ray is also pouring in 14.3 ppg on a 50.6 percent shooting clip while knocking down 85.3 percent of his free throw attempts.
  • Mid-America Christian will be looking to try and snap a seven-game losing streak to Science & Arts, but the Evangels came dangerously close to snapping the streak in their meeting in Chickasha, Okla. on Feb. 2. In the 64-63 defeat, the Evangels were able to build a 17-point lead against the Drovers in the first half before USAO rallied back in the second half to set up a back-and-forth battle down the stretch. A Tyler Cauley layup with 1:13 left put the Drovers in-front, but MACU's opportunity to win on Trevonte Doolittle's midrange jumper bricked off the back iron to end the contest.