OKLAHOMA CITY – The MACU men's basketball team will officially open the 2024 Oklahoma Ford Dealers Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament Quarterfinal on its home court as the Evangels will tip-off against No. 7 seed Texas Wesleyan at 8 p.m. inside the Gaulke Activity Center on Thursday night.
 
SEASON REPORT

• Record: 21-7 (17-5 SAC)
• Last Game: Won at John Brown – 84-79 – Feb. 24, 2024 – Siloam Springs, Ark.
• Stat Leaders:
  • Points: Seth Hurd (335, 12.4 ppg), Mikel Henderson (324, 11.6 ppg), Eddie Smith (286, 11.0 ppg)
  • Field Goal Percentage (%, M-A): Seth Hurd (57.1, 145-254), Magok Manyang (45.6, 73-160), DeAngelo Adkins (45.1, 87-193)
  • 3-Point Field Goal Percentage (%, M-A): Conner Calavan (39.7, 31-78), Eddie Smith (39.2, 40-102), Mikel Henderson (37.3, 60-161)
  • Free Throw Percentage (%, M-A): Mikel Henderson (81.8, 54-66), Magok Manyang (77.0, 57-74), Eddie Smith (74.6, 50-67)
  • Rebounds: DeAngelo Adkins (187, 6.7 rpg), Magok Manyang (160, 5.9 rpg), Seth Hurd (113, 4.2 rpg)
  • Assists: Jasiah Lewis (125, 4.5 apg), Eddie Smith (69, 2.7 apg), Mikel Henderson (67, 2.4 apg)
  • Steals: DeAngelo Adkins (45, 1.6 spg), Jasiah Lewis (34, 1.2 spg), Eddie Smith (29, 1.1 spg)
  • Blocks: Magok Manyang (38, 1.4 bpg), DeAngelo Adkins (0.8 bpg)
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian heads into the SAC Tournament as the No. 2 seed after finishing league play with a 17-5 record, wrapping up the regular season with a strong 84-79 road win at John Brown on Saturday.
  • In the win against the Golden Eagles, the Evangels came up with a pair of huge buckets late in the contest when Jasiah Lewis buried a right-wing three to beat the shot clock with 2:28 left to make it a 76-71 lead. After coming up with a huge defensive stop, Eddie Smith hit a shot clock buzzer beater of his own from the right elbow with 1:28 to go, extending the edge to 78-71 to give MACU some crucial separation.
  • The two biggest keys to MACU's success this season has been both their scoring balance and defensive prowess. Entering Thursday night's SAC Quarterfinal, the Evangels have six players that are averaging at least 8.0 ppg while shooting 45.8 percent as a team. Defensively, the Evangels are allowing the second-fewest points per game (68.8) on the second-lowest field goal percentage (40.3) and third-lowest three-point percentage (32.3). Overall, MACU possesses the 23^rd-best scoring defense and the 20^th-best field goal defense in the NAIA.
  • After completing the regular season, the Evangels with their 21-7 overall record are in the midst of their seventh 20-plus win season in the last 10 years and with MACU amassing 17 wins in SAC play, the Evangels notched their second-most league wins since going 19-1 during their 2019-20 SAC Championship year.

SCOUTING REPORT
Texas Wesleyan

• Record: 12-16 (10-12 SAC)
• Last Game: Won vs. Central Christian (Kan.) – 84-73 – Feb. 24, 2024 – Fort Worth, Texas
• Series vs MACU (2013-): MACU leads 15-7
• Last Game vs MACU: MACU won 63-54 – Feb. 1, 2024 – Gaulke Activity Center
• Series Streak: MACU won 5
• Players to Watch:
  • Adetokunbo Bakare – JR – G
    • 467 Points (17.3 ppg), 155-341 FG (45.5%), 60-156 3FG (38.5%), 97-114 FT (85.1%), 135 (5.0 rpg), 46 Assists (1.7 apg), 38 Steals (1.4 spg)
  • Kristian Lafayette – SR – F
    • 356 Points (12.7 ppg), 147-320 FG (45.9%), 58-73 FT (79.5%), 223 Reb (8.0 rpg), 41 Assists (1.5 apg), 33 Blocks (1.2 bpg)
  • Isaiah Marin – JR – G
    • 149 Points (8.8 ppg), 48-119 FG (40.3%), 21-61 3FG (34.4%), 32-42 FT (76.2%), 112 Reb (6.6 rpg), 43 Assists (2.5 apg), 28 Steals (1.6 spg)
• Team Notes:
  • Texas Wesleyan wrapped up the regular season with a huge 84-73 home win over Central Christian on Feb. 24. By getting that win, the Rams overtook Central Christian for the No. 7 spot in the SAC standings.
  • While the Rams finished seventh in the SAC standings, they've relied on their defense to carry them into the postseason as TWU ranks second-to-last in the league in scoring offense (69.1 ppg). However, the Rams scoring qualms primarily stem from pace-of-play and Texas Wesleyan is also the most efficient free throw shooting team in the conference, averaging 75.7 percent from the charity stripe. Defensively, the Rams boast the fourth-best scoring defense (71.0 ppg) on the fourth-lowest field goal percentage (42.6) and the best three-point percentage defense (31.1).
  • Most of TWU's offense runs through the two-man tandem of junior guard Adetokunbo Bakare and senior forward Kristian Lafayette. Bakare enters Thursday night's contest with a 17.3 ppg scoring averaging on 45.5 percent shooting, including a strong 38.5 percent from three and 85.1 percent from the line. Lafayette provides a strong low-post presence for the Rams, averaging 12.7 ppg on 45.9 percent from the field while pulling down 8.0 rebounds and blocking 1.2 shots per contest.
  • With the two squads being two of the best defensive teams in the SAC, Mid-America Christian pulled out a pair of low-scoring slugfests against Texas Wesleyan. In their 59-51 win inside the Sid Richardson Center on Dec. 7, the Evangels rallied back from a 24-21 halftime deficit, pulling away over the final seven minutes of the game. MACU's 63-54 home win over the Rams on Feb. 1 told a different story as the Evangels jumped out to a strong 33-24 halftime lead and never led by less than four points the entire second half.