OKLAHOMA CITY – The MACU Men's Basketball team will officially get NAIA Tournament play underway on Friday as the 10^th-seeded Evangels will take on a familiar foe in No. 7 seed, 23^rd-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan. The First Round contest is being played at the De Witt Gymnasium on the campus of Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa on Friday with the game slated for a 1:30 p.m. tip-off.

If the Evangels are victorious, they'd play the winner of second-seeded No. 6 Dordt (Iowa) and 15^th-seed Dickinson State (N.D.) at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
 
SEASON REPORT

• Record: 22-8 (17-7 SAC)
• Last Game: Lost vs. (2) No. 22 Langston – 76-71 – Mar. 3, 2025 – Langston, Okla. (SAC Semifinal)
• Stat Leaders:
  • Points: Josiah Fulcher (478, 15.9 ppg), Juwan White (430, 14.3 ppg)
  • FG Percentage (Min 3 FGM/G): Keeshawn Mason (50.6, 136-269), Josiah Fulcher (48.4, 183-378)
  • 3FG Percentage (Min 1 3FGM/G): Magok Manyang (36.8, 49-133), Josiah Fulcher (35.6, 42-118)
  • FT Percentage (Min 2 FTM/G): Josiah Fulcher (84.3, 70-183), Juwan White (84.3, 118-140)
  • Rebounds: Magok Manyang (171, 5.7 rpg), Josiah Fulcher (168, 5.6 rpg)
  • Assists: Juwan White (120, 4.0 apg), Josiah Fulcher (76, 2.5 apg)
  • Steals: Juwan White (46, 1.5 spg), Josiah Fulcher (36, 1.2 spg)
  • Blocks: Tarrence Gaines (24, 0.8 bpg), Magok Manyang (23, 0.8 bpg)
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian is making its sixth trip to the NAIA Tournament in the last seven years and its eighth in the last 11 years after wrapping up Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament play with a hard-fought 76-71 loss to eventual SAC Tournament Champion Langston in the semifinal round on Mar. 3. The Evangels wrapped up tourney play with a 22-8 overall record and finished in a tie for second in the SAC standings with a 17-7 league mark.
  • The Evangels are led into the NAIA Tournament by a pair of All-SAC Performers in senior guard Josiah Fulcher and senior guard Juwan White. Fulcher, A First Team honoree and the league's Newcomer of the Year, has been one of the offensive leaders for MACU all season, coming into the contest averaging 15.9 ppg on a highly efficient 48.4 percent shooting, including going 35.6 percent from three and 84.3 percent from the foul line while also being one of the team's leading rebounders at 5.6 rpg. Meanwhile, White has seen an incredible offensive producer as well, averaging 14.3 ppg while also leading the team in assists (4.0 apg) as well as 1.5 spg on the defensive end.
  • MACU boasts one of the best defenses in the country, ranking 16^th in the NAIA in scoring defense (67.0 ppg) while posting the 26^th-best field goal defense (41.1) and 32^nd-best rebounding margin (5.4). A big reason for the defensive success has been the play of SAC Defensive Player of the Year Tarrence Gaines, who comes into the contest with a team-high 24 blocked shots and 31 steals while also often tasked with guarding the opposing team's best offensive player.
  • The Evangels have seen NAIA Tournament postseason success under head coach Josh Gamblin. On-top of the team running through the postseason tournament during his rookie campaign in 2015-16, winning program's first ever NAIA Championship, the Evangels have notched a First Round win in five of the six tourney trips while MACU was a No. 1 seed during the 2019-20 campaign where the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last season, the Evangels topped No. 7 seed Hastings 68-67 in Wichita, Kansas on Mar. 15, 2024.

SCOUTING REPORT
Oklahoma Wesleyan

• Record: 23-7 (19-3 KCAC)
• Last Game: Lost vs. (4) Bethel (Kan.) – 67-64 – Mar. 1, 2025 – Bartlesville, Okla. (KCAC Semifinal)
• Series vs MACU (2003-): MACU leads 7-6
• Last Game vs MACU: OKWU won 76-58 – Mar. 16, 2024 – Wichita, Kan. (NAIA Tournament – 2^nd Round)
• Series Streak: OKWU won 1
• Players to Watch:
  • Jaden Lietzke – SR – C
    • 370 Points (14.2 ppg), 150-207 FG (72.5%), 70-109 FT (64.2%), 204 Reb (7.8 rpg), 47 Assists (1.8 apg), 34 Blocks (1.3 bpg)
  • Derrick Talton Jr. – SR – G
    • 401 Points (13.4 ppg), 152-348 FG (43.7%), 77-100 FT (77.0%), 133 Reb (4.4 rpg), 157 Assists (5.2 apg), 85 Steals (2.8 spg)
  • Yashi McKenzie – SO – G
    • 277 Points (9.2 ppg), 92-200 FG (46.0%), 77-100 FT (77.0%), 86 Reb (2.9 rpg), 46 Assists (1.5 apg), 45 Steals (1.5 spg)
• Team Notes:
  • Entering the tournament as the KCAC regular season champions, Oklahoma Wesleyan is also coming off a tough loss to No. 4 seed Bethel in the KCAC Semifinal round, falling by a score of 67-64 inside the Mueller Sports Complex in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
  • The Eagles are generally a solid team both offensively and defensively, ranking fourth in the KCAC in scoring offense (80.6 ppg) and third in scoring defense (70.6 ppg) while also being one of the top rebounding teams in the NAIA, ranking 17^th in rebounding margin (7.5).
  • The bulk load of the OKWU scoring has run through senior center Jaden Lietzke and senior guard Derrick Talton, who are averaging 14.2 and 13.4 ppg respectively while Lietzke is one of the best shooters in the NAIA, posting a national best 72.5 percent clip from the field.
  • Mid-America Christian will be rematched against Oklahoma Wesleyan in the NAIA Tournament after facing off against the Eagles in the Second Round last season. In the contest on Mar. 16, 2024, the Eagles pulled out the 76-58 victory to advance to the NAIA Tournament final site in Kansas City, Missouri.