OKLAHOMA CITY – For the third-straight game inside the Gaulke Activity Center, the MACU Men's Basketball team will meet up with the current Sooner Athletic Conference leader for an 8 p.m. tip-off on Monday as the Evangels will host No. 8 Langston for Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night.
 
SEASON REPORT

• Record: 13-5 (9-5 SAC)
• Last Game: Won vs. Nelson (Texas) – 70-52 – Jan. 18, 2025 – Gaulke Activity Center
• Stat Leaders:
  • Points: Josiah Fulcher (292, 16.2 ppg), Juwan White (229, 12.7 ppg)
  • FG Percentage (Min 3 FGM/G): Josiah Fulcher (50.7, 112-221), Keeshawn Mason (46.7, 79-169)
  • 3FG Percentage (Min 1 3FGM/G): Josiah Fulcher (40.3, 29-72), Magok Manyang (40.2, 35-87)
  • FT Percentage (Min 2 FTM/G): Josiah Fulcher (86.7, 39-45), Juwan White (84.7, 50-59)
  • Rebounds: Tarrence Gaines (107, 5.9 rpg), Magok Manyang (107, 5.9 rpg)
  • Assists: Juwan White (78, 4.3 apg), Josiah Fulcher (47, 2.6 apg)
  • Steals: Josiah Fulcher (26, 1.4 spg), Three Tied (18)
  • Blocks: Tarrence Gaines (14, 0.8 bpg), Magok Manyang (14, 0.8 bpg)
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian put together one of its most stifling defensive efforts of the season in a huge home win on Saturday as the Evangels held an offensive powerhouse in Nelson to a season-low in scoring as MACU cruised to a 70-52 victory.
  • One of the biggest keys to the victory is MACU shut down the SAC's leading scorer in CJ Hall, holding the star guard who entered the contest averaging more than 20 ppg to his second-lowest scoring output of the year at eight points on 4-of-17 shooting, including 0-for7 from three-point range. Impressively, no Lions player cracked into double-figures in the contest.
  • It was an especially great game for redshirt senior guard Tarrence Gaines, who not only had the primary assignment of guarding Hall, but also did some major damage on the offensive end, scoring a game-high 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting, going 4-for-5 from three-point arc.
  • MACU's matchup against Langston marks the third-straight home game the Evangels will be hosting the SAC leader entering the contest as MACU will be seeking to go 3-0 during the stretch. On Jan. 11, the Evangels defeated then leader Wayland Baptist 71-67 before taking down Nelson on Saturday.

SCOUTING REPORT
Langston (Okla.)

• Record: 15-2 (11-2 SAC)
• Last Game: Won vs. Oklahoma Panhandle State – 67-45 – Jan. 18, 2025
• Series vs MACU (2013-): MACU leads 13-7
• Last Game vs MACU: LU won 65-61 – Nov. 26, 2024 – Langston, Okla.
• Series Streak: LU won 6
• Players to Watch:
  • Bryce Monroe – JR – G
    • 211 Points (13.2 ppg), 74-169 FG (43.8%), 15-37 3FG (40.5%), 48-68 FT (70.6%), 31 Reb (1.9 rpg), 34 Assists (2.1 apg)
  • Joshua Smith – SO – F
    • 147 Points (8.6 ppg), 60-99 FG (60.6%), 27-40 FT (67.5%), 80 Reb (4.7 rpg)
  • Jamison Epps – SR – F
    • 142 Points (8.4 ppg), 50-118 FG (42.4%), 29-41 FT (70.7%), 122 Reb (7.2 rpg), 27 Assists (1.6 apg)
• Team Notes:
  • After getting off to a 2-2 start to SAC play, Langston has been red hot, winners of 10-straight league games that began with a nail-biting 65-61 win over MACU on Nov. 26. The Lions are coming off a dominant showing on their home court last week, rallying to beat Wayland Baptist 70-57 on Thursday before handing a 67-45 loss to Oklahoma Panhandle State on Saturday.
  • Under third year head coach Chris Wright, Langston continues to be the premier defensive team in the NAIA as the Lions lead the entire country in scoring defense (58.7 ppg) while holding the opposition to a league low 40.1 percent shooting and 27.8 percent from three-point range. Even though Langston offensively ranks just 11^th in the SAC in scoring offense (69.9 ppg), they play a low possession volume style of offense that ranks third in the SAC in points per possession at 1.077.
  • The Lions feature a balanced attack with nine players averaging at least 11 minutes per game, but the only scorer averaging in double-figures is Bevo Francis Top 100 Watch List honoree junior guard Bryce Monroe. This season, Monroe is averaging 13.2 ppg on a 43.8 percent shooting clip, but his on-ball defense also provides quite a challenge to the opposition.
  • Mid-America Christian is still seeking its first win against Langston since Wright became the program's head coach in 2022 as the Lions have won six-straight. However, the Evangels came dangerously close to snapping the skid in their last meeting at LU as MACU took a 57-56 lead on Keeshawn Mason's go-ahead bucket with 1:59 to go, but Langston closed out the contest with an 9-4 run the rest of the way to come away with the 65-61 win.