OKLAHOMA CITY – The MACU men's basketball team will be looking to wrap-up its three-game road stand on a high note as the Evangels will be seeking a bounce back at Texas Wesleyan. Tip-off is slated for 7:45 p.m. inside the Sid Richardson Center for MACU's last road game during the 2023 calendar year.
 
SEASON REPORT

• Record: 4-2 (1-1 SAC)
• Last Game: Lost at Oklahoma Panhandle State – 66-65 – Dec. 2, 2023 – Goodwell, Okla.
• Stat Leaders:
  • Points: Eddie Smith (79, 13.2 ppg), Magok Manyang (66, 11.0 ppg), Seth Hurd (50, 10.0 ppg)
  • FG% (M-A, %): Magok Manyang (20-36, 55.6%), Seth Hurd (23-48, 47.9%), Jasiah Lewis (20-44, 45.5%)
  • 3FG% (M-A, %): Magok Manyang (10-21, 47.6%), Eddie Smith (10-26, 38.5%), Mikel Henderson (11-45, 24.4%)
  • FT% (M-A, %): Eddie Smith (11-13, 84.6%), Magok Manyang (16-20, 80.0%), Jasiah Lewis (12-17, 70.6%)
  • Reb: DeAngelo Adkins (42, 7.0 rpg), Magok Manyang (41, 6.8 rpg), Seth Hurd (26, 5.2 rpg)
  • Assists: Jasiah Lewis (17, 2.8 apg), Mikel Henderson (13, 2.2 apg), Eddie Smith (12, 2.0 apg)
  • Steals: DeAngelo Adkins (18, 3.0 spg), Eddie Smith (11, 1.8 spg), Jasiah Lewis (9, 1.5 spg)
  • Blocks: Magok Manyang (6, 1.0 bpg), DeAngelo Adkins (3, 0.5 bpg)
• Team Notes:
  • After pulling off a huge upset at No. 10 Wayland Baptist last week, the Evangels ran into a buzz saw at Oklahoma Panhandle State on Saturday as MACU dropped a heartbreaking 66-65 decision inside Anchor D Arena when the Evangels missed a potential game-tying free throw with no time left on the clock.
  • Mid-America Christian features the top scoring defense in the Sooner Athletic Conference as the Evangels are allowing just 59.7 points per game while boasting the league's best field goal percentage defense (35.0) and third-best three-point percentage defense (29.8).
  • While MACU posted back-to-back games where it made 12 three-pointers and shot higher than 41 percent from downtown in back-to-back wins at Randall and Wayland Baptist, the Evangels will be looking at getting back on-track from beyond arc after MACU shot just 4-for-19 (21.1 percent) from three in the loss against the Aggies.
  • In their first two SAC games, the Evangels got a pair of strong performances from its junior big man Magok Manyang. In the two contests, Adelade, Australia native averaged 14.5 ppg while shooting 63.5 percent from the floor, 62.5 percent from three and went a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line while ripping down 6.0 rebounds and blocked 1.5 shots per game.

SCOUTING REPORT
Texas Wesleyan

• Record: 2-5 (0-2 SAC)
• Last Game: Lost at Southwestern Assemblies of God (Texas) – 77-59 – Dec. 2, 2023 – Waxahachie, Texas
• Series vs MACU (2013-): MACU leads 13-7
• Last Game vs MACU: MACU won 80-79 – Feb. 4, 2023 – Gaulke Activity Center
• Series Streak: MACU won 3
• Players to Watch:
  • Adetokunbo Bakare – JR – G
    • 110 Points (15.7 ppg), 40-87 FG (46.0%), 17-32 3FG (53.1%), 13-18 FT (72.2%), 43 Reb (6.1 rpg), 11 Assists (1.6 apg)
  • Kristian Lafayette – SR – F
    • 81 Points (11.6 ppg), 32-76 FG (42.1%), 14-17 FT (82.4%), 65 Reb (9.3 rpg), 13 Assists (1.9 apg), 7 Blocks (1.0 bpg)
  • Micale Mee – SR – G
    • 64 Points (9.1 ppg), 21-59 FG (35.6%), 10-30 3FG (33.3%), 12-17 FT (70.6%), 26 Reb (3.7 rpg), 14 Assists (2.0 apg)
• Team Notes:
  • Texas Wesleyan got off to a tough start to SAC play last week as the Rams dropped a 66-51 decision at home to UNT Dallas on Nov. 30 before falling 77-59 at Southwestern Assemblies of God on Dec. 2.
  • Much like the Evangels, the Rams have gotten off to a rough start to the season offensively as TWU ranks just below Mid-America Christian in the SAC in scoring offense with the 10^th-best scoring efficiency at 71.3 ppg. However, Texas Wesleyan's troubles have also translated over to the defensive side as the Rams are giving up the ninth-most points in the league at 75.6 ppg.
  • Most of the offense for TexWes this season has run through the duo of Adetokunbo Bakare and Kristian Lafayette. Bakare is the Rams' leading scorer this season, averaging 15.7 ppg on a strong 46.0 percent shooting clip, which includes shooting the fourth-highest three-point clip in the league at 53.1 percent. After redshirting the 2022-23 season, Lafayette has made a strong return for the Rams, averaging nearly a double-double at 11.6 ppg and 9.3 rpg while shooting 42.1 percent from the floor and 82.4 percent from the charity stripe.
  • Mid-America Christian has fared well against Texas Wesleyan in the recent series, winning the last three meetings, including that last two inside the Sid Richardson Center. In their last meeting inside the Gaulke Activity Center on Feb. 4, the Evangels staved off a late run made by the Rams to pull out an 80-79 victory. In that win, Eylan Goodwyn scored a career-high 31 points on a blistering 11-of-14 shooting, going 4-for-5 from three while Tarrence Gaines finished with a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.