OKLAHOMA CITY – Making its fourth consecutive NAIA Tournament appearance, the 10^th-seeded MACU women's basketball team will open postseason play against an opponent that it is no stranger to seeing in the NAIA Tourney as the Evangels will battle No. 7 seed Briar Cliff (Iowa) at 2 p.m. inside the Garvey Center for its opening round contest.

If the Evangels are victorious, they'd play the winner of No. 2 seed Vanguard (Calif.) and No. 15 seed Saint Mary (Kan.) in the second round game at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
 
SEASON REPORT

• Record: 22-8 (15-7 SAC)
• Last Game: Lost vs. No. 13 John Brown (Ark.) – 71-63 – Mar. 4, 2024 – Fort Worth, Texas (SAC Semifinal)
• Stat Leaders:
  • Points: Shy Christopher (579, 19.3 ppg), Jaci Calavan (509, 17.0 ppg), Kylee Scheer (338, 11.3 ppg)
  • Field Goal Percentage (%, M-A): Ashley Hopper (51.7, 61-118), Shy Christopher (49.3, 216-438), Kylee Scheer (44.9, 119-265)
  • 3-Point Field Goal Percentage (%, M-A): Jaci Calavan (37.8, 73-193), Kylee Scheer (37.6, 53-141), Karley Miller (32.6, 29-89)
  • Free Throw Percentage (%, M-A): Jaci Calavan (92.4, 110-119, Kylee Scheer (82.5, 47-57), Mia Smith (75.0, 36-48)
  • Rebounds: Kylee Scheer (184, 6.1 rpg), Jaci Calavan (170, 5.7 rpg), Shy Christopher (170, 5.7 rpg)
  • Assists: Mia Smith (92, 3.1 apg), Shy Christopher (75, 2.5 apg), Kylee Scheer (73, 2.4 apg)
  • Steals: Kylee Scheer (49, 1.6 spg), Shy Christopher (39, 1.3 spg), Two Tied (30)
  • Blocks: Sydney Savage (17, 0.6 bpg), Karley Miller (15, 0.5 bpg)
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian makes its way into NAIA Tournament play with a lot of momentum as the Evangels have won 12 of their last 14 games with the only two defeats coming against a No. 13 John Brown squad that went an undefeated 22-0 in Sooner Athletic Conference play as well as won the SAC Tournament title.
  • The Evangels feature a pair of outstanding scorers in junior guard Shy Christopher and senior guard Jaci Calavan, who make their way into the tournament as a pair of 500-plus point scorers, marking the first time since the program joined the NAIA in 2007 that the team has had two 500-point scorers in the same season. Christopher this season has scored 579 points on a SAC-best 19.3 ppg while Calavan has poured in 509 points on a 17.0 ppg average.
  • One of the biggest X-factors for MACU's success during the 2023-24 campaign has been its ability to capitalize from the free throw line. As a team, the Evangels are shooting 75.8 percent from the charity stripe, which is currently the best average MACU has produced during the NAIA Era and also ranks 17^th nationally in its free throw clip.
  • Another one of the biggest keys for the Evangels have been their ability to get on the glass. The Evangels enter postseason play averaging 44.9 boards per game, its second-most in a season in the NAIA Era and led the SAC in both boards and rebounding margin (9.9).

SCOUTING REPORT
Briar Cliff (Iowa)

• Record: 21-9 (15-7 GPAC)
• Last Game: Lost at No. 7 Concordia (Neb.) – 87-74 – Mar. 2, 2024 – Seward, Neb. (GPAC Semifinal)
• Series vs MACU (2022-): MACU leads 1-0
• Last Game vs MACU: MACU won 76-64 – Mar. 11, 2022 – Wichita, Kan. (NAIA Tournament – 1^st Round)
• Series Streak: MACU won 1
• Players to Watch:
  • Konnor Sudman – SR – G
    • 436 Points (14.5 ppg), 141-286 FG (49.3%), 131-152 FT (86.2%), 182 Reb (6.1 rpg), 99 Assists (3.3 apg), 44 Steals (1.5 spg)
  • Mallie McNair
    • 413 Points (13.8 ppg), 154-403 FG (38.2%), 54-178 3FG (30.3%), 51-67 FT (76.1%), 93 Reb (3.1 rpg), 53 Assists (1.8 apg), 44 Steals (1.5 spg)
  • Kennedy Benne – SR – G
    • 379 Points (12.6 ppg), 121-279 FG (43.4%), 31-100 3FG (31.0%), 106-139 FT (76.3%), 92 Reb (3.1 rpg), 58 Assists (1.9 apg), 82 Steals (2.7 spg)
• Team Notes:
  • Much like the Evangels, Briar Cliff makes its way into NAIA Tournament play after seeing their Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Tournament run come to an end in the semifinal round after falling at No. 7 Concordia (Neb.) on Mar. 2 by a score of 87-74.
  • The Chargers are a strong team on the offensive end, entering postseason play as the No. 2 scoring offense in the GPAC at 81.6 ppg while shooting 42.8 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three-point range as well as posting a stellar 76.8 percent clip from the free throw line. On the defensive end, BCU ranked in the middle of the pack in the GPAC, allowing the seventh-fewest points per game at 67.5.
  • A bulk load of the Briar Cliff scoring comes from its backcourt trio of Konnor Sudman, Mallie McNair and Kennedy Benne, who are averaging 14.5, 13.8 and 12.6 ppg respectively.
  • Mid-America Christian and Briar Cliff will be matching up against each other in the First Round of the NAIA Tournament for the second time in three years as both squads battled against each other in the very same Garvey Center on Mar. 11, 2022. In that matchup, the two teams were relatively even in the first half as MACU held a 38-36 lead at the halftime break, but put together a stellar second half to secure the program's first ever NAIA tourney victory by a score of 76-64. In that win, Ossyana Ozoani paced the Evangels with 20 points and 11 rebounds while Presley Payahsape poured in 12 points.