OKLAHOMA CITY – The No. 22 MACU women's basketball team earned the No. 2 seed in the Oklahoma Ford Dealers Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament for the third straight year and will face seventh-seeded Langston in the quarterfinal round at 6 p.m. inside the Gaulke Activity Center on Thursday night.
 
MACU SEASON REPORT

• Record: 23-5 (17-5 SAC)
• Last Game: Lost vs. Oklahoma City – 81-74 – Feb. 18, 2023 – Gaulke Activity Center
• Stat Leaders:
  • Points: Shy Christopher (471, 18.1 ppg), Jaci Littell (414, 16.6 ppg), Whitney Outon (267, 10.3 ppg)
  • FG% (Min. 3 FGM/G): Shy Christopher (48.6, 172-354), Whitney Outon (46.2, 97-210), Jaci Littell (40.1, 121-302)
  • 3FG% (Min. 1 3FGM/G): Jaci Littell (42.1, 64-152), Aneli Thomsen (41.3, 26-63), Kyleigh Leverich (40.7, 35-86)
  • FT% (Min. 2 FTM/G): Jaci Littell (84.4, 108-128), Alexis Borgstadt (79.1, 53-67), Shy Christopher (71.6, 116-162)
  • Reb: Whitney Outon (179, 6.9 rpg), Shy Christopher (141, 5.4 rpg), Sydney Wycoff (123, 4.7 rpg)
  • Assists: Sydney Wycoff (90, 3.5 apg), Shy Christopher (60, 2.3 apg), Kyleigh Leverich (60, 2.3 apg)
  • Steals: Jaci Littell (39, 1.6 spg), Sydney Wycoff (37, 1.4 spg), Tyaija Coleman (28, 1.1 spg)
  • Blocks: Whitney Outon (25, 1.0 bpg), Ashley Hopper (15, 0.6 bpg)
• Team Notes:
  • Facing an Oklahoma City team that was desperate for a win in order to get into the SAC Tournament, the Evangels saw their 10-game win streak come to a tough end as the Stars pulled away in the fourth quarter with an 81-74 victory due in-large part to a shot-clock beating three-pointer by Annila Dawn with 17 seconds left.
  • During MACU's immaculate 10-game win streak, the Evangels won every single contest by at least 13 points and held a scoring margin of 27.3 points per game. The Evangels also saw their nine-game home win streak come to an end, wrapping up the regular season with a 15-2 record inside the Gaulke Activity Center.
  • The Evangels will be hoping to go a step further in their third straight year as the No. 2 seed in the SAC Tournament. During the COVID-19 impacted 2021 league tourney, MACU entered the field as the No. 2 seed with a 9-1 overall record and a 6-0 mark in SAC play, but suffered an upset at the hands of No. 7 seed Langston 75-67 inside the Gaulke Activity Center. The Evangels advanced to the semifinal round in last season's tournament after defeating Oklahoma City 68-58 on Feb. 25, 2022, but then fell to No. 3 seed Texas Wesleyan 74-55 in the semifinal round.
  • In the final NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll, Mid-America Christian climbed two spots to No. 22. The Evangels are one of three teams from the SAC ranked in the top 25 along with No. 17 Texas Wesleyan and No. 25 Science & Arts.

SCOUTING REPORT
Langston (Okla.)

• Record: 16-12 (11-11 SAC)
• Last Game: Won vs. SW Assemblies of God (Texas) – 68-57 – Feb. 18, 2023 – Langston, Okla.
• Series vs. MACU (2015): MACU leads 9-2
• Last Game vs. MACU: MACU won 84-67 – Jan. 19, 2023 – Langston, Okla.
• Players to Watch:
  • Hailey Jordan – JR – F
    • 337 Points (12.5 ppg), 130-258 FG (50.4%), 75-90 FT (83.3%), 175 Reb (6.5 rpg), 34 Assists (1.3 apg), 33 Steals (1.2 spg)
  • Kameron Shelley – JR – G
    • 328 Points (11.7 ppg), 129-310 FG (41.6%), 59-161 3FG (36.6%), 76 Reb (2.7 rpg), 29 Assists (1.0 apg), 30 Steals (1.1 spg)
  • Anyia Pride – GR – F
    • 268 Points (9.9 ppg), 90-205 FG (43.9%), 80-106 FT (75.5%), 184 Reb (6.8 rpg), 53 Assists (2.0 apg)
• Team Notes:
  • After suffering a 92-85 loss at home to Texas Wesleyan on Jan. 7 to drop to 7-8 with a 4-7 mark in Sooner Athletic Conference play, Langston fared well in the last half of SAC competition as the Lady Lions won nine of their last 13 games to lock up the No. 7 seed in the league tournament.
  • LU enters postseason play as the No. 3 scoring team in the SAC, averaging 75.4 ppg on the league's third-best three-point percentage (33.7) and are also the top rebounding team at 45.1 boards per game. The Lady Lions rank just behind the Evangels in scoring defense, allowing the sixth-most points (65.4). However, LU also boasts the SAC's best three-point defense, holding the opposition to just 25.6 percent from range.
  • Offensively, the Lady Lions are led by junior forward Hailey Jordan, who is notching 12.5 ppg while shooting at the fifth-best clip in the conference at 50.4 percent. Langston also gets some strong production from Anyia Pride in the low-post, not only averaging 9.9 ppg and a team-best 6.8 rpg, but is also leading the team with assists at 53 (2.0 apg).
  • Since suffering that heartbreaking loss in the SAC Quarterfinal on Feb. 23, 2021, the Evangels have had the Lady Lions number by winning the last four meetings by a 19.0 ppg scoring margin. MACU swept the season series after defeating Langston 89-68 inside the Gaulke Activity Center on Nov. 16, 2022 before coming away with an 84-67 victory at Langston on Jan. 19.