POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. – MACU Women's Basketball found its rhythm in the second half as the Evangels outscored Stephens 40-17 in the second half, to win 67-41 on Friday evening on Day 1 of the COFO Lady Cat Classic.  
 
SCORE

• Mid-America Christian 67, Stephens College 41
  • Mid-America Christian: (4-1)
  • Stephens College (1-5)

TOP PERFORMERS

• Sincere Roberts: 14 Points, 6 Reb, 3 Steals, 1 Assist
• Taliah Lee: 12 Points, 5 Reb, 3 Steals, 1 Block
• Caitlynn Jordan: 9 Points, 5 Reb, 3 Steals, 1 Block
• Mia Smith: 8 Points, 4 Assists, 3 Reb, 1 Steal

GAME SUMMARY

• First Quarter
  • The Evangels struck first by knocking down a pair of jumpers from Caitlynn Jordan and Talayah Thomas to hold a 4-1 lead two minutes in. However, Stephens started seeing shots fall and led 10-7 halfway through the opening quarter.
  • A three pointer from Sydney Reddin of the Stars gave Stephens an early five-point lead at 15-10. Aniya Smith came in off the bench and gave the Evangels a spark by converting on consecutive possessions with a minute remaining. But once again, the Stars had the answer, ending the quarter with a made basket and the lead at 19-14.
• Second Quarter
  • Sincere Roberts lit up the start of the second quarter with a good finish at the basket, followed by a 3-pointer to square it up at 19 just a minute in.
  • Taliah Lee joined the scoring action converting defense into easy offense off the steal followed by an offensive rebound putback on the next possession as the Evangels led 23-21 with five minutes to play.
  • Thomas found the bottom again with under a minute to play in the half with a transition jump shot off an Aniya Smith steal to close out the first half with a 27-24 MACU lead.
• Third Quarter
  • It was a competitive start to the second half as both teams came out shooting significantly better than the first. Three minutes in, LaiJanique Perry-Ellis drilled a triple to draw the Stars even at 29.
  • However, it was all MACU to finish the third quarter as the Evangels closed the final six minutes on a 16-2 run. Caitlynn Jordan accounted for seven points during the run including a three-pointer. But it was the Evangel defense that made the difference with four steals and a block during the stretch, which resulted in easy offense on the other end. Lee finished at the rim for the final bucket of the third quarter to give the Evangels a 45-31 advantage.
• Fourth Quarter
  • The run continued into the fourth quarter as the lead quickly ballooned to 21 for the Evangels. Roberts continued a good shooting night with her smooth jumper, followed by a triple from Mia Smith as MACU ran away 52-31.
  • MACU got the lead to 26 with four minutes remaining through consecutive tough drives to the basket from Roberts, while Mia Smith found an open shot to cash in for three.
  • Berlin Bartlett continued her stellar 3-point shooting to start her collegiate career by  splashing in the final bucket of the evening from behind the arc as MACU outscored Stephens 40-17 in the second half to win 67-41.

GAME NOTES

• MACU suffered from a slow shooting start in the first half but recovered to finish 27-69 (39.1%) from the field, 8-27 (29.6%) from behind the arc, while converting five of eight free throws for 62.5%. A tough shooting night for the Stars at 16-53 (30.2%) from the field, only 4-27 (14.8%) from 3-pt, and 5-14 (35.7%) from FTs.
• MACU won the turnover battle at 13-24, but the biggest statistical difference coming from points off turnovers with a staggering 29-1 point margin in the Evangels favor.  
• Sincere Roberts led the Evangels offensively with 14 points shooting 6-11 (54.5%) from the field and cashing in a triple from three attempts (33.3%). Taliah Lee finished right behind her with 12 points, 5-12 (41.6%) from the field, and 1-4 (25%) from 3pt.
• Caitlynn Jordan led rebounding for MACU, she finished with 10 rebounds and nine points, one shy of a second consecutive double-double. Mia Smith dished out a team-high four dimes to go along with a pair of threes for eight points.  
• MACU and Stephens faced off for the first time in program history, as the Evangels' 26-point win improves to 1-0 all-time against the Stars.   

UP NEXT

• Mid-America Christian stays in Point Lookout, Mo. for Day 2 of the COFO Lady Cat Classic to face LSU Shreveport on Saturday afternoon tipping off at 1 p.m.