OKLAHOMA CITY – It will be a rematch of last year's Sooner Athletic Conference Championship game in the Semifinal round on Monday night as the third-seeded MACU Men's Basketball team will battle host second-seed No. 22 Langston at 8 p.m. inside C.F. Gayles Fieldhouse.
 
SEASON REPORT

• Record: 22-7 (17-7 SAC)
• Last Game: Won vs. (6) Texas Wesleyan – 81-73 – Feb. 27, 2025 – Gaulke Activity Center (SAC Quarterfinal)
• Stat Leaders:
  • Points: Josiah Fulcher (462, 15.9 ppg), Juwan White (412, 14.2 ppg)
  • FG Percentage (Min 3 FGM/G): Keeshawn Mason (50.0, 131-262), Josiah Fulcher (48.6, 178-366)
  • 3FG Percentage (Min 1 3 FGM/G): Magok Manyang (37.2, 48-129), Josiah Fulcher (36.2, 42-116)
  • FT Percentage (Min 2 FTM/G): Juwan White (84.5, 109-129), Josiah Fulcher (83.1, 64-77)
  • Rebounds: Magok Manyang (168, 5.8 rpg), Josiah Fulcher (163, 5.6 rpg)
  • Assists: Juwan White (117, 4.0 apg), Josiah Fulcher (76, 2.6 apg)
  • Steals: Juwan White (45, 1.6 spg), Josiah Fulcher (35, 1.2 spg)
  • Blocks: Magok Manyang (23, 0.8 bpg), Tarrence Gaines (22, 0.8 bpg)
• Team Notes:
  • After suffering two tough losses during the regular season to Texas Wesleyan, the third time was the charm for Mid-America Christian in the SAC Quarterfinal inside the Gaulke on Thursday night as the Evangels put together a tough, gritty performance to pull out the 81-73 victory.
  • Even though the Rams managed to shoot slightly better than MACU in the contest with TXWES going 25-for-53 (47.2 percent) from the field and 11-of-24 (45.8 percent) from three to the Evangels' 27-of-58 (46.6 percent) and 12-for-31 (38.7 percent) from range, turnovers and free throw shooting played massive importances in the win. MACU forced the Rams into committing nearly double the turnovers (15-to-8) while the Evangels shot 15-for-18 (83.3 percent) from the foul stripe to only 12-of-19 (63.2 percent) for the Rams.
  • Balance was the key for MACU in the win as well. While most of the TXWES offense ran through Matt Nero's 23-point outburst, the Evangels narrowly missed putting five guys into double-figure scoring. Juwan White and Tarrence Gaines led the charge with 16 points apiece while Magok Manyang poured in 15 to go with Josiah Fulcher's 11 points. Keeshawn Mason also narrowly missed breaking in with nine points.
  • The Evangels have consistently been one of the best teams in the conference offensively, defensively and in the rebounding department as MACU ranks fourth in the SAC in scoring offense (75.5 ppg) while allowing the third-fewest points (66.7 ppg). The Evangels also rank as the third-best rebounding team in the conference with a 5.8 boarding margin.

SCOUTING REPORT
Langston

• Record: 22-7 (17-7 SAC)
• Last Game: Won vs. (8) Central Christian (Kan.) – 71-68 (OT) – Feb. 27, 2025 – Langston, Okla.
• Series vs MACU (2013-): MACU leads 13-7
• Last Game vs MACU: MACU won 88-67 – Jan. 20, 2025 – Gaulke Activity Center
• Series Streak: MACU won 1
• Players to Watch:
  • Bryce Monroe – JR – G
    • 350 Points (14.0 ppg), 120-274 FG (43.8%), 23-65 3FG (35.4%), 87-121 FT (71.9%), 45 Reb (1.8 rpg), 66 Assists (2.6 apg)
  • Joshua Smith – SO – F
    • 282 Points (10.1 ppg), 107-181 FG (59.1%), 68-101 FT (67.3%), 131 Reb (4.7 rpg), 14 Blocks (0.5 bpg)
  • Mario McKinney – SR – G
    • 241 Points (9.6 ppg), 83-205 FG (40.5%), 62-105 FT (59.0%), 136 Reb (5.4 rpg), 45 Assists (1.8 apg)
• Team Notes:
  • Langston faced the toughest test of all the home teams in the SAC Quarterfinals on Thursday night as seventh-seeded Central Christian went into C.F. Gayles Fieldhouse and narrowly upset the No. 2 seed. The Lions trailed by as much as nine with 10 minutes left in the second half before rallying back to tie it on a pair of Bryce Monroe free throws with seven seconds left. After getting a defensive stop to force overtime, LU was able to take the late lead in overtime on a pair of Joshua Smith free throws with 32 seconds left before Monroe made it a three-point game after going 1-for-2 with two seconds left. The late heave by the Tigers was off the mark as Langston held on for the 71-68 overtime win.
  • While the Lions have been challenged on the offensive end, ranking third-to-last in the SAC in scoring offense at 70.2 ppg, where the Lions excel is on the defensive end as LU leads the league in scoring defense at 62.3 ppg, which is the fifth-lowest clip in the NAIA. The Lions are also an exceptional team on the glass, outrebounding its foes by a SAC best 8.0 margin.
  • Overall, Langston is well-balanced in its offensive attack with six players averaging 7.5 ppg or better, headlined by Bevo Francis Top 100 Watch List honoree Bryce Monroe. This season, Monroe is averaging 14.0 ppg also dishing out 2.6 assists per contest. Joshua Smith has also been a stable presence in the low block for the Lions, averaging 10.1 ppg on a SAC leading 59.1 percent shooting.
  • The two teams split the regular season series. While MACU narrowly missed handing the Lions a home loss back on Nov. 26 as Langston scored the go-ahead three in the final minutes and held on for a 65-61 home win, the Evangels put together their best shooting performance of the season inside the Gaulke on Jan. 20 as the Evangels shot 60.4 percent from the field and 57.9 percent from three-point range to run away with an 88-67 win.