OKLAHOMA CITY – The MACU Women's Basketball team will open its 2025-26 season on the road as the Evangels head to Wichita, Kan. to face Friends on Saturday afternoon, for a 3 pm tipoff inside the Garvey Center.

SEASON REPORT

• 2024-25 Record: 27-7 (19-5 SAC)
• Last Game: Loss vs No. 5 Briar Cliff (Iowa) – 80-64 – March 21, 2025 – Sioux City, Iowa (NAIA Tournament - Round of 16)
• Top Returners:
  • Talayah Thomas – SR – G
    • 135 Points (5.6 ppg), 47-124 FG (38%), 20-26 FT (77%), 89 Reb (3.7 rpg), 52 Assists (2.2 apg), 15 Steals, 24 GP, 24 GS, 533 MIN
  • Mia Smith – JR – G
    • 83 Points (2.5 ppg), 23-76 FG (30%), 34-45 FT (76%), 70 Reb (2.1 rpg), 69 Assists (2.1 apg), 17 Steals, 33 GP, 619 MIN
• Top Newcomers:
  • Monique Carter – JR – G
    • 2023-25 @ Providence (Mont.): 415 Points (6.7 ppg), 151-404 FG (37%), 82-110 FT (75%), 127 Reb (2.0 rpg), 153 Assists (2.5 apg), 50 Steals, 62 GP, 49 GS, 1,754 MIN
  • Taliah Lee – JR – F
    • 2023-25 @ Providence (Mont.): 384 Points (6.3 ppg), 156-379 FG (41%), 27-33 FT (82%), 196 Reb (3.2 rpg), 61 Assists (1.0 apg), 32 Steals, 61 GP, 26 GS, 1,145 MIN
  • Caitlynn Jordan JR – F
    • 2024-25 @ Oklahoma Christian: 67 Points (4.2 ppg), 20-78 FG (26%), 20-22 FT (91%), 45 Reb (2.8 rpg), 7 Blocks, 16 GP, 1 GS, 266 MIN
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian is coming off yet another highly successful season finishing third in Sooner Athletic Conference regular season table and making it to the conference championship game before falling to No. 17 Langston (Okla.). The Evangels also made a good NAIA Tournament run before their season ended in the Round of 16 to No. 5 Briar Cliff (Iowa).
  • For the first time in a decade, the MACU Women's Basketball team welcomes a new head coach as Scott Morris takes the reins of the program bringing in a legendary resume. Morris put together an incredible 19-year coaching career with the Northern Oklahoma College - Enid Women's Basketball team from 2001 to 2020, amassing an astounding 460-154 (.752) overall record. Overall, Morris guided the Jets to 17 consecutive 21-plus win seasons, nine conference championships, and four National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Tournament appearances, including making it to the final four in 2011.
  • The Evangels add NCAA D-I experience to their coaching staff hiring lead assistant coach Madison Russell. Russell comes to MACU from Stillwater after serving as student manager for Oklahoma State's Women's Basketball program from 2022-25.
  • Talayah Thomas is the only returning starter from the Evangel team a season ago, as she tallied 135 points on 38% shooting while starting in all 24 games she appeared in.
  • MACU brings in a strong class of newcomers as a pair of transfers from Providence (Mont.), in Taliah Lee and Monique Carter, who played in the NAIA National Championship game just two years ago. Caitlynn Jordan joins the Evangels from her sophomore season at NCAA D-II school Oklahoma Christian, and played for NCAA D-I school Utah Tech her freshman year.

 
SCOUTING REPORT
(RV) Friends (Kan.)

• 2024-25 Record: 19-12 (15-7 KCAC)
• Last Game: Loss vs Sterling (Kan.) – 86-76 OT – March 4, 2025 – Wichita Kan. (KCAC Tournament - Championship)
• Series vs MACU: 1-1
• Last Game vs MACU: MACU won 61-51 – Nov. 10, 2006 – Oklahoma City
• Series Streak: MACU W1
• Players to Watch
  • Lauryn McIver – GS – G
    • 2024-25 Stats: 470 Points (15.2 ppg), 174-410 FG (42.4 %), 88-123 FT (71.5%), 174 Reb (5.6 rpg), 98 Assists, 35 Steals, 21 Blocks, 31 GP, 31 GS, 1,038 MIN
  • Abigail Barr – SR – F
    • 2024-25 Stats: 384 Points (12.4 ppg), 165-290 FG (56.9%), 219 Reb (7.1 rpg), 31 Assists, 15 Steals, 5 Blocks, 31 GP, 31 GS, 877 MIN
• Team Notes:
  • Friends is coming off a 19-12 overall record, 15-7 KCAC record finishing them fourth in the regular season conference standings. The Falcons made a late season run making the KCAC tournament championship match against Sterling in a competitive match where they just fell short in overtime. They are receiving votes in the NAIA preseason polls.
  • The Falcons are returning its leading point scorer from a season ago in Lauryn McIver who averaged just over 15 points per game on 42.4% shooting. McIver enters her graduate season coming off a senior season where she was voted 1^st team All-KCAC as a guard.
  • Friends will also return its leading rebounder in Abigail Barr who averaged just over seven rebounds a game. Barr also received all-conference honors in honorable mention, tallying 12.4 ppg. She enters her senior year while starting all 31 games for the Falcons during her junior season.
  • This is the first meeting between the Falcons and Evangels in 19 years. MACU won the previous matchup on Nov. 10, 2006 by a score of 61-51 at home.