OKLAHOMA CITY – The MACU women's basketball team will play a pair of pivotal games against a pair of NAIA Top 25 opponents this week as the Evangels will head to Chickasha, Okla. on Thursday night for a 6 p.m. tip against No. 19 Science & Arts before returning home on Saturday for a 2 p.m. contest against No. 17 Texas Wesleyan.
 
MACU SEASON REPORT

• Record: 18-4 (12-4 SAC)
• Last Game: Won vs. Oklahoma Panhandle State – 86-49 – Jan. 28, 2023 – Gaulke Activity Center
• Stat Leaders:
  • Points: Shy Christopher (358, 17.9 ppg), Jaci Littell (306, 16.1 ppg), Whitney Outon (213, 10.7 ppg)
  • FG% (Min. 3 FGM/G): Shy Christopher (48.3%, 126-261), Whitney Outon (47.3%, 79-167), Jaci Littell (38.7%, 89-230)
  • 3FG% (Min. 1 3FGM/G): Jaci Littell (43.0%, 52-121), Kyleigh Leverich (28-71, 39.4%), Whitney Outon (35.1%, 20-57)
  • FT% (Min. 2 FTM/G): Jaci Littell (85.4%, 76-89), Alexis Borgstadt (76.8%, 43-56), Shy Christopher (74.4%, 96-129)
  • Reb: Whitney Outon (149, 7.5 rpg), Shy Christopher (101, 5.1 rpg), Sydney Wycoff (92, 4.6 rpg)
  • Assists: Sydney Wycoff (68, 3.4 apg), Kyleigh Leverich (46, 2.3 apg), Shy Christopher (43, 2.2 apg)
  • Steals: Sydney Wycoff (33, 1.7 spg), Jaci Littell (31, 1.6 spg), Shy Christopher (20, 1.0 spg)
  • Blocks: Whitney Outon (22, 1.1 bpg), Ashley Hopper (14, 0.7 bpg)
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian is coming off yet another dominant week on the hardwood. After picking up its largest margin of victory against traditional NAIA powerhouse Wayland Baptist 96-68 on Jan. 26, the Evangels closed out their three-game home stand with an 86-49 win over Oklahoma Panhandle State.
  • Redshirt sophomore guard Shy Christopher continued her stellar play in her first season with the program. The Jacksonville, Ark. native tallied a pair of 20-plus point performances, averaging 22.5 points per game on a blistering 15-for-24 (62.5 percent) from the field and converted 14-of-18 (77.8 percent) from the free throw line.
  • Averaging just 4.3 ppg over the first 16 games, graduate student forward Aneli Thomsen has played a much bigger role in MACU's offensive attack the past three games. During that three-game stretch, Thomsen has averaged 11.7 ppg on 13-of-22 (59.1 percent) shooting, including 6-for-12 (50 percent) from three-point range.
  • Currently on a five-game win streak, the Evangels have continued to dominate the competition. During the two-week stretch, MACU has outscored its opponents 455-290 with a 33.0 margin of victory. Due to the streak, Mid-America Christian has climbed to second in the Sooner Athletic Conference in scoring average (79.3 ppg) and fourth in the league in scoring defense (64.5 ppg).

SCOUTING REPORT
No. 19 Science & Arts (Okla.)

• Record: 20-2 (14-2 SAC)
• Last Game: Won at UNT-Dallas – 78-58 – Jan. 28, 2023 – Dallas, Texas
• Series vs. MACU (2003-): MACU leads 20-17
• Last Game vs. MACU: USAO won 74-63 – Dec. 8, 2022 – Gaulke Activity Center
• Players to Watch:
  • Lainey Morrow – SO – F
    • 322 Points (14.6 ppg), 116-199 FG (58.3%), 85-102 FT (83.3%), 141 Reb (6.4 rpg), 36 Assists (1.6 apg), 30 Steals (1.4 spg), 15 Blocks (0.7 bpg)
  • Zaria Dorsey – SR – F
    • 252 Points (11.5 ppg), 106-249 FG (42.6%), 17-60 3FG (28.3%), 23-30 FT (76.7%), 148 Reb (6.7 rpg), 46 Assists (2.1 apg), 25 Steals (1.1 spg), 23 Blocks (1.0 bpg)
  • Diaka Berete – SO – G
    • 244 Points (11.1 ppg), 90-201 FG (44.8%), 20-53 3FG (37.7%), 44-66 FT (66.7%), 101 Reb (4.6 rpg), 60 Assists (2.7 apg), 38 Steals (1.7 spg)
• Team Notes:
  • Science & Arts is coming off a pair of strong performances down in Texas last week, cruising to an 83-55 win over Southwestern Assemblies of God (Texas) on Jan. 26 before topping UNT-Dallas 78-58 on Jan. 28.
  • The Drovers come into the contest as the second-best scoring defense in the SAC, allowing just 59.6 ppg on the second-ranked field goal defense (35.8 percent). However, USAO has been somewhat vulnerable on the glass as the Drovers rank just sixth in the conference in rebounding margin at 1.8.
  • USAO features a balanced offensive attack with four players averaging in double-figures and six players scoring at least 7.0 ppg. Sophomore forward Lainey Morrow leads the offensive efforts at 14.6 ppg while shooting by far and away a league-best 58.3 percent from the field. Two-time All-SAC honoree Zaria Dorsey has also been a presence on the inside for the Drovers, averaging 11.5 ppg and leading the team at 6.7 boards per contest.
  • Mid-America Christian will be looking to avenge a home loss to Science & Arts back on Dec. 3. In that 74-63 defeat, the Evangels went toe-to-toe with the Drovers, trailing by just two after three quarters of play. However, the Evangels struggled in the fourth quarter as USAO outscored MACU 22-13 in the period to pull away with the win. Mid-America Christian will be looking to continue the trend of splitting the season series as the two teams have been dead even since the 2019-20 campaign.

No. 17 Texas Wesleyan

• Record: 20-2 (15-1 SAC)
• Last Game: Won vs. SW Assemblies of God (Texas) – 85-58 – Jan. 28, 2023 – Fort Worth, Texas
• Series vs. MACU: MACU leads 17-6
• Last Game vs. MACU: TWU won 82-74 – Jan. 2, 2023 – Fort Worth, Texas
• Players to Watch:
  • Makayla Coy – SR – F
    • 348 Points (15.1 ppg), 114-249 FG (45.8%), 116-138 FT (84.1%), 198 Reb (8.6 rpg), 32 Steals (1.4 spg)
  • Kertisa Amos – SR – F
    • 337 Points (15.3 ppg), 125-310 FG (40.3%), 84-111 FT (75.7%), 124 Reb (5.6 rpg), 35 Assists (1.6 apg), 58 Steals (2.6 spg)
  • Zarria Carter – SO – F
    • 274 Points (13.7 ppg), 110-211 FG (52.1%), 54-83 FT (65.1%), 155 Reb (7.8 rpg), 29 Steals (1.4 spg), 11 Blocks (0.6 bpg)
• Team Notes:
  • After suffering its first SAC loss of the season at John Brown, Texas Wesleyan bounced back with a pair of home wins last week, defeating UNT-Dallas 79-69 on Jan. 26 before pulling away with an 85-58 win against Southwestern Assemblies of God on Jan. 28.
  • Texas Wesleyan is the top scoring offense in the SAC, averaging 83.4 ppg on a 42.1 percent shooting clip. While the team has struggled from the three-point arc, knocking down just 86-for-295 (29.2 percent), the Lady Rams are one of the nation's best free throw shooting teams, converting the second-most foul shots at 448-of-613 (73.1 percent). TWU is also one of the best rebounding teams in the conference, holding a league-best rebounding margin at 13.0.
  • The Lady Rams also feature a balanced scoring lineup with four players averaging in double-digits, led by Kertisa Amos and Makayla Coy, who are averaging 15.3 and 15.1 ppg respectively. Coy, along with sophomore forward Zarria Carter are two of just seven players in the SAC that are averaging at least 10 points and seven rebounds a game with Coy ripping down 8.6 rpg and Carter averaging 13.7 ppg and 7.8 rpg.
  • The Evangels will be looking to try and snap a two-game losing streak to the Lady Rams. MACU played well at Texas Wesleyan, leading by as much as 13 as well as holding the advantage for three quarters. However, the Evangels struggled in the fourth as TWU outscored MACU 20-11 to pull out the 82-74 win on Jan. 2.