OKLAHOMA CITY – The MACU men's basketball team will open the second half of Sooner Athletic Conference play with a four-game home stand as the Evangels start it off with a huge matchup against Wayland Baptist for Black Out Night at 7:45 p.m. before hosting Oklahoma Panhandle State for a 3:45 p.m. tip on Saturday.
 
MACU SEASON REPORT

• Record: 12-5 (8-3 SAC)
• Last Game: Won at UNT Dallas – 72-65 – Jan. 20, 2024 – Dallas
• Stat Leaders:
  • Points: Eddie Smith (200, 12.5 ppg), Mikel Henderson (181, 10.6 ppg), Seth Hurd (167, 10.4 ppg)
  • Field Goal Percentage (%, M-A): Magok Manyang (50.9, 54-106), Seth Hurd (50.3, 72-143), DeAngelo Adkins (45.7, 53-116)
  • 3-Point Field Goal Percentage (%, M-A): Eddie Smith (40.0, 26-65), Magok Manyang (39.2, 20-51), Mikel Henderson (34.3, 36-105)
  • Free Throw Percentage (%, M-A): Mikel Henderson (84.4, 27-32), Eddie Smith (78.9, 30-38), Magok Manyang (78.0, 32-41)
  • Rebounds: DeAngelo Adkins (117, 6.9 rpg), Magok Manyang (104, 6.1 rpg), Seth Hurd (68, 4.3 rpg)
  • Assists: Jasiah Lewis (66, 3.9 apg), Eddie Smith (40, 2.5 apg), Mikel Henderson (37, 2.2 apg)
  • Steals: DeAngelo Adkins (32, 1.9 spg), Jasiah Lewis (22, 1.3 spg), Eddie Smith (21, 1.3 spg)
  • Blocks: Magok Manyang (19, 1.1 bpg), DeAngelo Adkins (14, 0.8 bpg)
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian faced a massive road test at UNT Dallas on Saturday when the Trailblazers strung together a 20-5 run in the second half to take a 63-60 lead over the Evangels with 3:09 left. However, MACU stemmed the tide over the last three minutes, putting together its own 12-2 run to close out the contest to come away with the 72-65 road victory.
  • In the win over UNTD, the Evangels put together one of its most offensively efficient games of the season, shooting their third-highest percentage (51.9, 27-52) while boasting its highest three-point percentage (61.5, 8-13).
  • One of the biggest factors in MACU's sensational play was the performance of senior guard Eddie Smith. In the win, Smith finished with his MACU career-high of 22 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including going 2-for-2 from three-point range and converted on 8-of-10 foul shots. The Birmingham, Ala. native was especially clutch during MACU's late 12-2 run, scoring eight of the Evangels' points, which included a crucial three-pointer with 45 seconds left to make it a 69-65 game.
  • The Evangels have also been getting strong play out of senior combo guard/forward DeAngelo Adkins as of late. The Oklahoma City product narrowly missed recording his second-straight double-double after scoring nine points and pulling down 11 boards against UNT Dallas. In the previous win over Southwestern Assemblies of God, Adkins recorded his first MACU double-double with 10 points and yanked down a season-high 13 rebounds.

SCOUTING REPORT
(RV) Wayland Baptist (Texas)

• Record: 13-5 (8-4 SAC)
• Last Game: Lost vs. No. 2 Langston (Okla.) – 86-63 – Jan. 20, 2024 – Plainview, Texas
• Series vs MACU (2008-): WBU leads 21-12
• Last Game vs MACU: MACU won 62-61 – Nov. 30, 2023 – Plainview, Texas
• Series Streak: MACU won 1
• Players to Watch:
  • Linton Brown – SR – G
    • 307 Points (18.1 ppg), 107-258 FG (41.5%), 42-107 3FG (39.3%), 51-70 FT (72.9%), 70 Reb (4.1 rpg), 34 Assists (2.0 apg), 17 Steals (1.0 spg)
  • D'Michael Bellfield – SR – F
    • 201 Points (11.8 ppg), 76-133 FG (57.1%), 49-78 FT (62.8%), 115 Reb (6.8 rpg)
  • Quentin Coleman – JR – G/F
    • 101 Points (14.4 ppg), 33-75 FG (44.0%), 19-41 3FG (46.3%), 16-18 FT (88.9%), 17 Reb (2.4 rpg), 13 Assists (1.9 apg), 7 Steals (1.0 spg)
• Team Notes:
  • Wayland Baptist went 3-2 in a five-game home stand over the last two weeks as the Pioneers wrapped up the stretch with a tough 86-63 to No. 2 Langston on Saturday. In that defeat, WBU struggled to slow down the Lions as LU took a 43-28 lead into the halftime break and didn't look back.
  • The Pioneers have offensively been one of the best offensive teams in the SAC under head coach Clint Galyean with WBU ranking fourth in the league in scoring offense (81.4 ppg) while posting the third-highest shooting percentage (46.9) and second-best three-point percentage (38.1). Wayland has been just as strong on the defensive end, sitting in third in scoring defense (69.7 ppg) on the third-best field goal percentage defense (41.1).
  • Senior guard Linton Brown has been the spark plug for WBU on the offensive end, leading the team in scoring (18.1 ppg), marking the fourth-best scoring clip in the SAC while D'Michael Bellfield has been Wayland's most consistent big, averaging 11.8 ppg on the third-highest shooting percentage in the league (57.1). Since starting to see action at the start of 2024, combo guard/forward Quentin Coleman has provided the Pioneers another strong scoring option at 14.4 ppg while shooting a blistering 46.3 percent from three.
  • The last time Mid-America Christian and Wayland Baptist faced off against each other, the Evangels won a downright thriller in Plainview, Texas back on Nov. 30. In that win, WBU's Bol Tong banked in a deep three from the top of the key with five seconds left to give the Pioneers a 61-59 lead before Jasiah Lewis knocked down an incredible 40-foot three-pointer with a second to go to propel the Evangels to the 62-61 win.

Oklahoma Panhandle State

• Record: 4-12 (2-10 SAC)
• Last Game: Lost vs. Central Christian (Kan.) – 79-69 – Jan. 20, 2024 – Goodwell, Okla.
• Series vs MACU (2018-): MACU leads 6-5
• Last Game vs MACU: OPSU won 66-65 – Dec. 2, 2023 – Goodwell, Okla.
• Series Streak: OPSU won 1
• Players to Watch:
  • Fred Robinson – SO – G
    • 284 Points (17.8 ppg), 96-240 FG (40.0%), 22-71 3FG (31.0%), 70-105 FT (66.7%), 52 Reb (3.3 rpg), 42 Assists (2.6 apg)
  • Joe Greaves – SR – G
    • 178 Points (11.1 ppg), 56-160 FG (35.0%), 43-120 3FG (35.8%), 23-31 FT (74.2%), 101 Reb (6.3 rpg), 20 Assists (1.3 apg)
  • Abdulh Diaby – SO – F
    • 170 Points (10.6 ppg), 67-162 FG (41.4%), 30-53 FT (56.6%), 81 Reb (5.1 rpg), 28 Blocks (1.8 bpg)
• Team Notes:
  • Ever since getting off to a 2-0 start to SAC play, it has been a struggle for Oklahoma Panhandle State as the Aggies have lost 10-straight contests, the latest being a 79-69 home defeat to Central Christian last Saturday.
  • The Aggies biggest struggles this season have come on the offensive end as OPSU ranks last in the SAC in scoring offense (63.7 ppg), shooting a league-worst 38.9 percent from three while boasting the conference's second-worst three-point shooting (30.4 percent) as well as ranking second-to-last in free throw shooting (62.1 percent). Panhandle has also been challenged on the defensive end, ranking ninth in the league in scoring defense (77.9 percent).
  • Despite OPSU's offensive struggles, sophomore guard Fred Robinson has provided a spark on the offensive end by scoring 17.8 ppg on a 40 percent shooting clip while dishing out 2.6 assists per game. Senior guard Joe Greaves has been one of the glue guys for OPSU this season, averaging 11.1 ppg while pulling down 6.3 rpg.
  • The Evangels will be looking to avenge a heartbreaking loss at Oklahoma Panhandle State earlier this season. In their meeting inside Anchor D Arena on Dec. 2, the Aggies rallied from a 14-point deficit in the first half and managed to hold a 64-57 lead with 2:57 left in the game. MACU put together a late 8-2 run to set up a dramatic ending when Seth Hurd was fouled going up for a buzzer-beating shot, sending the senior forward to the line. With the Evangels trailing by two, Hurd knocked down the front end, but unfortunately missed his second attempt as the Aggies escaped with the 66-65 home win.