OKLAHOMA CITY – The MACU Men's Basketball team had a chance to win at the buzzer against Texas Wesleyan inside the Gaulke Activity Center on Senior Day Saturday, but Juwan White's potential game-winner was just long as the Evangels fell to the Rams 70-68.
 
TOP PERFORMERS

• Josiah Fulcher – 23 Points, 9-15 FG, 2-5 3FG, 3-4 FT, 3 Reb, 2 Assists
• Keeshawn Mason – 13 Points, 5-9 FG, 2-3 FT, 3 Reb
• Tarrence Gaines – 12 Points, 4-11 FG, 2-8 3FG, 2-2 FT, 7 Reb
• Juwan White – 12 Points, 4-12 FG, 3-7 3FG, 3 Reb, 3 Assists, 3 Steals

GAME SUMMARY

• First Half
  • Mid-America Christian (19-7, 15-7 SAC) started out strong on the defensive end as a Tarrence Gaines pull-up jumper and a Keeshawn Mason tip-in off his own miss with 17:55 left gave MACU the early 4-0 edge.
  • A strong Trey Sinegal take on the ensuing possession jumpstarted a nine-unanswered run for Texas Wesleyan (17-8, 13-8 SAC) as the Evangels were held scoreless over the next three minutes as the Rams extended their edge to 9-4 on Kaden Morgan's lay-in at the 15:31 mark.
  • Quentin Woodson's ball-fake and lay-in with 14:56 left finally snapped MACU's cold spell, but TXWES captured its largest lead by countering with a 7-2 run as Noah Williams' foul shot with 12:20 left set the score to 17-8.
  • A Tarrence Gaines three from the left wing with just under 12 minutes to go jumpstarted the MACU offense as the Evangels went on a 9-2 run capped off on a Mason and-one layup with 8:36 to cut the Rams lead down to 19-17.
  • TXWES scored six of the next seven on a pair of threes from Matt Nero and Trey Sinegal, but Keeshawn Mason's three at the 6:41 mark was the last score for either team over the next few minutes before Juwan White rattled in a left side three with 4:10 remaining to cut the deficit down to 25-24.
  • After Magok Manyang knocked down a trey with 2:22 on the clock, both teams struggled to score down the stretch as both teams scored just two points with Fulcher's midrange jumper with 55 seconds to go sent the game into the break tied at 31-31.
• Second Half
  • Despite giving up the first three points, Fulcher jumpstarted an 8-0 MACU streak with a midrange jumper before capping the run on an incredible high-flying alley-oop dunk off the White lob to give the Evangels the 39-34 advantage with 17:04 left.
  • The Rams managed to cut it to a one-possession game but were unable to bring it even until Vegas Evans finished off a three-point play at the 12:45 mark to tie it up at 45-45.
  • Another White three and a monstrous Tarrence Gaines dunk off an offensive board gave MACU a 50-47 edge with just over 10 minutes to go, but the Rams strung together eight unanswered off a pair of threes before Trey Sinegal knocked down a pair of three throws to stretch the Rams lead to 55-50 with 8:52 on the clock.
  • The Evangels swung back with seven straight of their own on a Gaines three and a pair of buckets from White and Mason, but the Rams once again countered with eight unanswered as an Evans lay-in stretched the TXWES edge to 63-57 with just over four minutes remaining.
  • MACU struggled to close the gap over the next three minutes before Fulcher's right corner three with 57 seconds to go cut it to a 69-68 game
  • Even though the Evangels got a massive defensive stop to get the ball back to either tie or take the lead, a costly miscommunication with 13 seconds left gave possession back to the Rams, forcing the Evangels to foul.
  • With Montez Young Jr. going just 1-for-2 from the line, Mid-America Christian had another chance to tie or take the lead.
  • Following a timeout with nine seconds to go, the Evangels had some difficulty trying to get the ball inbounded as the Rams pressure defense forced the Evangels to pass it over to White on the left side as his 30-foot heave three at the buzzer bricked off the back iron as the Rams held on for the 70-68 win.

GAME NOTES

• While Mid-America Christian was able to shoot at a decent clip against Texas Wesleyan's gritty defense, going 25-for-59 (42.4 percent) from the field, the Evangels struggled from three-point range as the Evangels shot a high volume 9-of-32 (28.1 percent) and shot only 9-for-13 (69.2 percent) from the free throw line.
• The Evangels struggled to slow down Texas Wesleyan as the Rams shot 26-of-52 (50 percent) while knocking down 6-for-19 (31.6 percent) and converted on 12-of-18 (66.7 percent) from the foul line.
• Texas Wesleyan won the rebounding battle by a slim 32-30 margin and while MACU held an 11-8 edge on the offensive glass, the Rams were more effective on their extra chances as TXWES led 15-10 in second chance points.
• Mid-America Christian managed to win the turnover battle, forcing 17 Rams giveaways while committing just 14 of its own, Texas Wesleyan was once again able to hold the advantage in points off turnovers at 23-11.
• Josiah Fulcher led MACU's offensive efforts with 23 points on 9-for-15 shooting, going 2-of-5 from three-point range and 3-for-4 from the free throw line to go with three boards and two assists.
• Keeshawn Mason one of MACU's most effective players offensively, especially in the first half as he notched nine of his 13 in the opening stanza while finishing 5-of-9 from the floor and 2-for-3 from the charity stripe with three rebounds.
• Tarrence Gaines turned in a 12-point, seven-rebound performance while Juwan White rounded out MACU's double-digit scorers with 12 points to go with three boards, three assists and three steals.
• It was a tough loss for the Evangels in their final regular season home game as Texas Wesleyan swept the season series after getting a 69-58 win in Fort Worth back on Jan. 4.
• At the end of the day, Mid-America Christian sits in a three-way tie for third in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings at 15-7 with Langston and Wayland Baptist.
• Before the start of the game, Mid-America Christian honored its 12 graduating seniors: Juwan White, Josiah Fulcher, Carson Lambakis, Nick Bradley, Chase Byrne, Tarrence Gaines, Michael Wooten, Quentin Woodson, Keeshawn Mason, Peyton Musick, Magok Manyang and Ronnie Lopez.

UP NEXT

• Mid-America Christian will prepare for one of its most important road trips of the season as the Evangels will head to Wayland Baptist for an 8 p.m. tip-off inside the Hutcherson Center on Thursday, Feb. 20.