CHICKASHA, Okla. – In a game that went back and forth throughout, Ashley Hopper converted on the front end of a pair of free throws with 0.3 seconds remaining to propel the MACU women's basketball team to a thrilling 79-78 victory over Science & Arts Saturday afternoon at the USAO Fieldhouse.
 
TOP PERFORMERS

• Jaci Calavan – 24 Points, 8-15 FG, 3-6 3FG, 5-6 FT, 9 Reb, 5 Assists
• Shy Christopher – 17 Points, 7-21 FG, 3-3 FT, 6 Reb, 4 Assists
• Kylee Scheer – 7 Points, 2-6 FG, 2-5 3FG, 5 Reb, 3 Assists

GAME SUMMARY

• First Quarter
  • Both teams struggled from the field in the opening stanza as the Evangels were 6-for-17 (35.3 percent) while the Drovers went 5-of-15 (33.3 percent). Shy Christopher and Sydney Adee each had a pair of field goals to lead Mid-America Christian (16-6, 10-6 SAC) to a 15-13 advantage.
  • MACU opened the game with a 9-2 run as Christopher scored five points during the run that lasted over the first four minutes of the contest.
  • Adee drilled a triple with 5:20 remaining in the quarter to extend the Evangels' lead to 12-4 before the Drovers outscored MACU 9-3 to end the period.
• Second Quarter
  • The Evangels opened the second quarter with a 5-0 run over the first 39 seconds as Hallie Reed buried a triple and Sydney Savage scored off a fast break to extend the advantage to 20-13.
  • Reed hit her second long-range jumper of the quarter at the 6:27 mark to give the Evangels their biggest lead of the game at 25-16. MACU hit four triples in the quarter while going a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.
  • Science & Arts (15-7, 11-5 SAC) able to bounce back in the later stages of the quarter as they cut the Evangels' lead to three points twice and after a Hopper lay-in with 32 seconds, USAO's Tonijah Fortune hit a three-point bucket with 12 seconds remaining to cut the MACU lead to 37-35 as the game went to the half.
• Third Quarter
  • The game then went back and forth in the third quarter as there were five lead changes and three ties in the stanza as both teams had eight field goals in the period with the Drovers hitting three triples in the stanza.
  • After the score was tied at 50-50 with 4:15 remaining in the quarter, the Evangels went on an 8-0 run with Calavan converting a pair of layups and Savage scoring on a fast break to make the score 58-50 at the 1:13 mark of the period.
  • The Drovers went on to score the final six points of the quarter USAO's Devynn Harris drilled a triple while Trinitee Alexander converted a three-point play with 15 seconds left to cut the Evangels advantage to 58-56.
• Fourth Quarter
  • The opening of the fourth quarter saw four lead changes as the two teams battled back and forth before Kylee Scheer hit a three-pointer with 5:47 left in the stanza to make the score 66-63.
  • The Drovers cut the lead to one at 66-65 before the Evangels went on a 9-3 run to extend the lead to 75-68 as Christopher scored six points during the run. But the Drovers would answer as they went on a 10-3 run to knot the game at 78-78 with 11 seconds remaining.
  • After a time-out by MACU, Christopher missed a layup, but Hopper was fouled on the play with a second remaining to put her at the line where she drilled her first free throw to give the Evangels a 79-78 advantage. After she missed the second attempt, USAO called a timeout and could not convert to give MACU the win.

GAME NOTES

• Overall, MACU had a good day from the floor in shooting 29-of-67 (43.3 percent) which included 9-for-21 (42.9 percent) from beyond the arc. The Evangels finished the afternoon at the charity stripe by shooting 12-for-15 (80 percent).
• The Drovers finished the contest by shooting 30-of-67 (52.9 percent) from the field while going 6-for-23 from behind the three-point line. Science & Arts ended the afternoon going 12-of-29 (63.2 percent) from the foul line.
• The Evangels held their own on the boards by holding a 41-39 rebounding advantage as both teams grabbed 14 offensive boards in the game. The Drovers were very efficient in taking care of the ball as they only had five turnovers compared to 14 for MACU.
• The Evangels bench was outstanding in the contest as they accounted for 24 points while MACU scored 38 points in the paint.
• After today's thrilling victory, the Evangels now hold a 23-17 advantage in the all-time series and have now won three straight contests over the Drovers.
• Today's victory over Science & Arts is MACU's sixth consecutive win and keeps the Evangels in fifth place in the SAC and they now trail the Drovers for fourth place by a single game.

UP NEXT

• The Evangels will continue their four-game road trip next week as MACU heads to Langston, Okla. to take on the Lions on Thursday, Feb. 8 with the opening tip set for 6 p.m. inside C.F. Gayles Arena.