OKLAHOMA CITY – Earning one of the Sooner Athletic Conference's two automatic bids, the MACU men's basketball team will be looking to keep its strong postseason run going in the First Round of the NAIA Tournament tonight as the 10^th-seeded Evangels take on No. 7 seed Hastings (Neb.) at 8 p.m. inside the Garvey Center in Wichita, Kansas.

With a win, Mid-America Christian would face off against the winner of No. 2 seed Oklahoma Wesleyan and No. 15 seed Peru State (Neb.) at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
 
SEASON REPORT

• Record: 23-8 (17-5 SAC)
• Last Game: Lost vs. No. 2 Langston (Okla.) – 55-44 – Mar. 5, 2024 – Fort Worth, Texas (SAC Championship)
• Stat Leaders:
  • Points: Seth Hurd (373, 12.4 ppg), Mikel Henderson (351, 11.3 ppg), Eddie Smith (308, 10.6 ppg)
  • Field Goal Percentage (%, M-A): Quentin Woodson (71.8, 61-85), Seth Hurd (56.0, 158-282), Magok Manyang (46.4, 84-181)
  • 3-Point Field Goal Percentage (%, M-A): Conner Calavan (39.5, 32-81), Eddie Smith (37.2, 42-113), Mikel Henderson (36.0, 64-178)
  • Free Throw Percentage (%, M-A): Mikel Henderson (80.3, 61-76), Magok Manyang (77.4, 72-93), Eddie Smith (75.4, 52-69)
  • Rebounds: DeAngelo Adkins (204, 6.6 rpg), Magok Manyang (189, 6.3 rpg), Seth Hurd (122, 4.1 rpg)
  • Assists: Jasiah Lewis (136, 4.4 apg), Mikel Henderson (75, 2.4 apg), Eddie Smith (72, 2.5 apg)
  • Steals: DeAngelo Adkins (47, 1.5 spg), Jasiah Lewis (37, 1.1 spg), Eddie Smith (34, 1.1 spg)
  • Blocks: Magok Manyang (46, 1.5 bpg), DeAngelo Adkins (23, 0.7 bpg)
• Team Notes:
  • Since suffering a 79-60 home loss to No. 2 Langston on Jan. 4 to open the 2024 part of Mid-America Christian's schedule, the Evangels have played outstanding basketball, winning 17 of its last 20 games and finished second in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings with a 17-5 league mark.
  • After advancing to the SAC Championship game on Mar. 5, the Evangels gave No. 2 Langston one of its toughest fights of the season, trailing by just one at the half in a defensively grueling 15-14 game. However, the Lions knocked down a couple of clutch shots in the second half to gain some separation before pulling away with the 55-44 win.
  • One of the trademarks of MACU's sensational season has been their downright dominant defense. Entering NAIA Tournament play, Mid-America Christian ranks 19^th in the NAIA in scoring defense, allowing just 67.7 ppg which also ranks as the fewest MACU has allowed since joining the NAIA in 2007. The Evangels also own the 16^th-best field goal defense, holding their opposition to just 40.1 percent shooting from the field.
  • On-top of its elite defense, one of the biggest challenges MACU has given its opposition is its incredible scoring balance as six players are averaging at least 8.0 ppg. Senior forward Seth Hurd paces the squad, averaging 12.4 ppg on a stellar 56.0 percent shooting clip.

SCOUTING REPORT
Hastings (Neb.)

• Record: 23-8 (15-5 GPAC)
• Last Game: Won vs. (RV) Morningside (Iowa) – 77-61 – Mar. 5, 2024 – Hastings, Neb. (GPAC Championship)
• Series vs MACU (2010-): MACU leads 1-0
• Last Game vs MACU: MACU won 86-84 – Dec. 18, 2010 – Gaulke Activity Center
• Series Streak: MACU won 1
• Players to Watch:
  • Reggie Thomas – SO – G
    • 760 Points (24.5 ppg), 262-509 FG (51.5%), 78-181 3FG (43.1%), 158-197 FT (80.2%), 233 Reb (7.5 rpg), 140 Assists (4.5 apg), 50 Steals (1.5 spg)
  • Tyrique McMurrin – SR – F
    • 363 Points (11.7 ppg), 141-257 FG (54.9%), 52-74 FT (70.3%), 184 Reb (5.9 rpg), 59 Assists (1.9 apg)
  • Danilo Matovic – SR – F
    • 292 Points (9.4 ppg), 131-216 FG (60.6%), 165 Reb (5.3 rpg), 67 Assists (2.2 apg)
• Team Notes:
  • Hastings is coming off winning the Great Plains Athletic Conference Tournament Championship after defeating Morningside 77-61 in their home venue on Mar. 5. The Mustangs went 15-5 in GPAC play to finish in a three-way tie for the league's regular season crown.
  • Much like the Evangels, HC is a team that prides itself on stellar defense as the Mustangs were the top scoring defense in the GPAC at 70.5 ppg while ranking just ninth in their conference in scoring offense (76.5 ppg). However, a big reason for Hastings' low scoring output is due to pace of play as the Mustangs are shooting an extremely efficient 50.7 percent from the field and are the top three-point shooting team out of the GPAC at 41.0 percent.
  • For MACU to have success, it'll have to look to neutralize one of the top players in the NAIA in Reggie Thomas. The sophomore guard was named the GPAC Player of the Year after averaging 24.5 ppg on a blazing 51.5 percent shooting clip, going 43.1 percent from three-point range and shooting an extremely efficient (80.2 percent) from the stripe. Thomas is a player that does damage in more ways than just scoring as he is also averaging 7.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
  • Tonight's contest will mark just the second ever meeting between the Evangels and the Mustangs. The only other time the two teams faced off against each other came inside the Gaulke Activity Center on Dec. 18, 2010. In that matchup, MACU pulled out a thriller as the Evangels got two huge late defensive stops to come away with the 86-84 victory. John Shodipo paced the Evangels with 19 points, five boards, four blocks and three steals while Brandon Williams poured in 15 points and nabbed four steals to go with four assists.