OKLAHOMA CITY – The MACU women's basketball will take on Texas Wesleyan to close out its four-game home stand inside the Gaulke Activity Center at 6 p.m. on Thursday before opening a four-game road trip on Saturday with a 2 p.m. tip-off inside the USAO Fieldhouse against Science & Arts in Chickasha.
 
MACU SEASON REPORT

• Record: 14-6 (8-6 SAC)
• Last Game: Won vs. Southwestern Christian (Okla.) – 72-58 – Jan. 29, 2024 – Gaulke Activity Center
• Stat Leaders:
  • Points: Shy Christopher (376, 18.8 ppg), Jaci Calavan (334, 16.7 ppg), Kylee Scheer (234, 11.7 ppg)
  • Field Goal Percentage (%, M-A): Ashley Hopper (51.2, 44-86), Shy Christopher (49.7, 142-286), Alexis Borgstadt (46.5, 53-114)
  • 3-Point Field Goal Percentage (%, M-A): Jaci Calavan (39.0, 41-105), Kylee Scheer (38.5, 35-91), Karley Miller (32.3, 21-65)
  • Free Throw Percentage (%, M-A): Jaci Calavan (93.7, 89-95), Kylee Scheer (83.8, 31-37), Mia Smith (77.8, 28-36)
  • Rebounds: Kylee Scheer (136, 6.8 rpg), Jaci Calavan (117, 5.9 rpg), Two Tied (112)
  • Assists: Mia Smith (60, 3.0 apg), Kylee Scheer (52, 2.6 apg), Shy Christopher (47, 2.4 apg)
  • Steals: Kylee Scheer (39, 2.0 spg), Shy Christopher (27, 1.4 spg), Jaci Calavan (24, 1.2 spg)
  • Blocks: Karley Miller (13, 0.7 bpg), Sydney Savage (9, 0.5 bpg), Ashley Hopper (9, 0.5 bpg)
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian faced a tough test from Southwestern Christian on Monday as the Eagles rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit to take an early lead in the third quarter after going on a 10-0 to start. However, after SCU tied it up at 50 later in the period, the Evangels strung together a 17-4 run over a seven-minute stretch before eventually pulling away with the 72-58 victory.
  • In the win, MACU got a remarkable performance from junior guard Shy Christopher, who poured in a career-high 35 points on an incredible 14-of-21 shooting, including going 2-for-5 from three and 5-of-6 from the free throw line while yanking down seven boards and dishing out five assists.
  • Entering Thursday's matchup, Christopher is the only player in the Sooner Athletic Conference that is averaging more than 18 ppg (18.8) while ranking seventh in the league in qualifying field goal percentage (49.7) while also ranking third in the SAC in both free throws made (80) and free throw attempts (109).
  • A team that started off the season running a high-octane, fastbreak offense, the Evangels have relied heavily on their play on the defensive end during their four-game win streak. Over the last four games, MACU is allowing just 56.3 ppg on a 40.7 percent shooting clip, but have been especially good on the perimeter by allowing just 24.7 percent from three. MACU has also been strong on the glass, out-rebounding the opposition by 9.0 rpg.

SCOUTING REPORT
Texas Wesleyan

• Record: 10-10 (6-8 SAC)
• Last Game: Lost vs. Science & Arts (Okla.) – 74-66 – Jan. 29, 2024 – Fort Worth, Texas
• Series vs MACU (2009-): MACU leads 19-7
• Last Game vs MACU: MACU won 56-54 – Dec. 7, 2023 – Fort Worth, Texas
• Series Streak: MACU won 2
• Players to Watch:
  • Mary Nyakundi – SR – G
    • 226 Points (11.3 ppg), 68-176 FG (38.6%), 26-65 3FG (40.0%), 64-76 FT (84.2%), 66 Reb (3.3 rpg), 40 Assists (2.0 apg), 21 Steals (1.1 spg)
  • Taryn Wills – SR – G
    • 220 Points (11.0 ppg), 92-239 FG (38.5%), 33-45 FT (73.3%), 89 Reb (4.5 rpg), 26 Assists (1.3 apg), 37 Steals (1.9 spg)
  • Savanna Smith – SR – G
    • 189 Points (9.4 ppg), 58-150 FG (38.7%), 28-87 3FG (32.2%), 45-52 FT (86.5%), 36 Reb (1.8 rpg), 20 Assists (1.0 apg), 24 Steals (1.2 spg)
• Team Notes:
  • Texas Wesleyan is coming off a hard-fought 74-66 loss to Science & Arts inside the Sid Richardson Center on Monday. The Lady Rams managed to keep it close through most of the game, but TWU was unable to knock the Drovers advantage to under two possessions over the final period as USAO held on for the road win.
  • TexWes comes into Thursday night's contest ranked in the middle of the pack in regards to scoring offense, averaging 65.5 ppg (7^th). Despite the Lady Rams ranking ninth in field goal percentage offense (37.2), they have been doing a lot of damage from the free throw line, converting on the third-highest percentage (73.5) while attempting the third-most in the league (419).
  • Since losing its leading scorer Rykeyah Gant (14.4 ppg) at the break, Texas Wesleyan has been relying heavily on the play of senior guard Mary Nyakundi (11.3 ppg) while shooting a blistering 40 percent from three-point range and converting on 84.2 percent of her foul shots. Taryn Wills (11.0 ppg) has also provided a strong scoring option for the Lady Rams.
  • The last time the two teams met earlier this season in Fort Worth, the Evangels survived a 56-54 nail-biter where the Lady Rams missed the potential game-winning three-point shot at the buzzer. Jaci Calavan led the Evangels with 22 points and narrowly missed a double-double with nine boards while Shy Christopher did notch the double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Science & Arts (Okla.)

• Record: 14-6 (10-4 SAC)
• Last Game: Won at Texas Wesleyan – 74-66 – Jan. 29, 2024 – Fort Worth, Texas
• Series vs MACU (2003-): MACU leads 22-17
• Last Game vs MACU: MACU won 90-75 – Dec. 11, 2023 – Gaulke Activity Center
• Series Streak: MACU won 2
• Players to Watch:
  • Lainey Morrow – SR – F
    • 358 Points (17.9 ppg), 129-232 FG (55.6%), 100-124 FT (80.6%), 181 Reb (9.1 rpg), 31 Assists (1.6 apg), 25 Steals (1.3 spg), 17 Blocks (0.8 bpg)
  • Diaka Berete – JR – G
    • 254 Points (12.7 ppg), 95-246 FG (38.6%), 33-98 3FG (33.7%), 31-47 FT (66.0%), 119 Reb (6.0 rpg), 42 Assists (2.1 apg), 23 Steals (1.1 spg)
  • Jordan Bloomfield – SR – G/F
    • 179 Points (9.4 ppg), 64-148 FG (43.2%), 40-96 3FG (41.7%), 55 Reb (2.9 rpg), 23 Assists (1.2 apg)
• Team Notes:
  • Science & Arts enters their Thursday night contest against Southwestern Christian after coming off a hard-fought 74-66 road win at Texas Wesleyan on Monday. Since suffering a 63-51 road loss at John Brown on Jan. 20, the Drovers have found their stride as winners of the last three games.
  • The Drovers rank as the second-best scoring offense in the SAC at 75.0 ppg, sitting only behind MACU (81.2 ppg). Part of the reason for USAO's success is due to its strong ball control, ranking third in the league in fewest turnovers per game (14.3) while out-rebounding its opponents by a 6.1 per game margin.
  • USAO is led offensively by one of the top players in the league in Lainey Morrow. The senior forward is nearly averaging a double-double, scoring the second-most points in the conference (17.9 ppg) on the second-highest field goal percentage (55.6) and is pulling down the fourth-most rebounds (9.1 rpg) in the SAC. Diaka Berete is also another dangerous scoring threat for the Drovers, averaging 12.7 ppg.
  • When the two teams met inside the Gaulke Activity Center back on Dec. 11, the dynamic duo of Jaci Calavan and Shy Christopher put up stellar games as Calavan finished with 30 points to go with six boards and four assists while Christopher poured in 24 points and eight rebounds.