OKLAHOMA CITY – The MACU Men's Basketball team will be looking to close out its five-game home stand on a high note against Sooner Athletic Conference co-leader No. 17 Nelson at 8 p.m. on Thursday night inside the Gaulke Activity Center before traveling to Texas Wesleyan on Saturday for a 4 p.m. bout inside the Sid Richardson Center.
 
SEASON REPORT

• Record: 12-3 (6-3 SAC)
• Last Game: Won vs. Oklahoma Panhandle State – 78-74 – Jan. 10, 2025 – Gaulke Activity Center
• Stat Leaders:
  • Points: Morris Williams (253, 16.9 ppg), Shannon Strickland (162, 10.8 ppg)
  • FG Percentage (%, M-A; Min 3 FGM/G): Clance Crosby (63.8, 51-80), Morris Williams (52.5, 84-160)
  • 3FG Percentage (%, M-A; Min 1 3FGM/G): Shannon Strickland (50.0, 23-46), Morris Williams (44.8, 30-67)
  • FT Percentage (%, M-A; Min. 2 FTM/G): Morris Williams (82.1, 55-67), Demetrius Shakur (76.1, 35-46), Clay Baldwin (76.1, 35-46)
  • Rebounds: Clance Crosby (88, 5.9 rpg), Morris Williams (82, 5.5 rpg)
  • Assists: Shannon Strickland (33, 2.2 apg), Demetrius Shakur (26, 1.7 apg)
  • Steals: Zander Baker (28, 1.9 spg), Morris Williams (17, 1.1 spg)
  • Blocks: Clance Crosby (15, 1.0 bpg), Able Houston (7, 0.5 bpg)
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian had to overcome a red-hot shooting Oklahoma Panhandle State squad in its last outing on Saturday as the Evangels trailed by as much as 14 in the early minutes of the second half. However, MACU utilized a massive 14-0 run midway through the second stanza to take the lead. After OPSU recaptured a one-point lead with 3:53 to go, the Evangels closed out the contest with a 12-7 run to come away with the 78-74 victory.
  • Upon beginning the season in the staring lineup through the first seven games of the season, senior guard Clay Baldwin has found his stride in the sixth man role for the Evangels. In just 16 minutes of action against OPSU, the Missouri Valley, Texas product netted a MACU career-high 16 points, 14 of which came in the second half with 11 of those points coming during the 14-0 surge.
  • Junior guard Corey Skillman was another big factor in MACU's comeback efforts against the Aggies. After being held scoreless in the first half, Skillman netted 12 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting, including going 2-for-2 from three-point range and converted on both of his free throw attempts.
  • Through the first half of the season, MACU is one of two teams in the Sooner Athletic Conference that ranks in the top five in both scoring offense and scoring defense, as its 81.1 points per game ranks as the fifth-best clip in the league while its 69.0 ppg allowed is the third-best rate.

SCOUTING REPORT
Nelson (Texas)

• Record: 13-3 (8-2 SAC)
• Last Game: Won at Texas Wesleyan – 82-74 – Jan. 12, 2026 – Fort Worth, Texas
• Series vs MACU (2005-): MACU leads 18-14
• Last Game vs MACU: MACU won 70-52 – Jan. 18, 2025 – Gaulke Activity Center
• Series Streak: MACU won 1
• Players to Watch:
  • Micah Clark – SR – F
    • 344 Points (21.5 ppg), 135-271 FG (49.8%), 37-110 3FG (33.6%), 37-65 FT (56.9%), 100 Reb (6.3 rpg), 25 Assists (1.6 apg), 21 Steals (1.3 spg)
  • Trelin Green – JR – G
    • 188 Points (11.8 ppg), 59-139 FG (42.4%), 58-73 FT (79.5%), 58-73 FT (79.5%), 42 Reb (2.8 rpg), 110 Assists (6.9 apg), 36 Steals (2.3 spg)
  • Jesse Iweze – SR – F
    • 185 Points (11.6 ppg), 57-105 FG (54.3%), 62-90 FT (68.9%), 109 Reb (6.8 rpg), 24 Assists (1.5 apg), 19 Steals (1.2 spg), 28 Blocks (1.8 bpg)
• Team Notes:
  • After suffering a tough 109-105 double overtime home loss to College of the Ozarks last Saturday, an incredible contest that saw COFO's Andrew Dalton and the Lions' Micah Clark each score 50 points, Nelson bounced back with a big 82-74 road win at Texas Wesleyan on Monday to open the week.
  • The Lions feature one of the highest-octane offenses in the NAIA as their 88.0 ppg average leads the SAC and ranks 14^th overall in the nation. While Nelson ranks third in the SAC in field goal percentage (46.8) and have made the second-most three-pointers (156), the Lions are only ranking seventh in both three-point percentage (34.5) and free throw percentage (69.1). Meanwhile, Nelson has been suspect on the defensive end this season, allowing the ninth-most points (78.6 ppg) in the league.
  • On the offensive end, MACU will need to look to contain two of the biggest weapons in the league in senior forward Micah Clark and junior guard Trelin Green. Clark ranks third in the SAC in scoring at 21.5 ppg while Green by far and away leads the league in assists with 110 on the year. Defensively, Green is also considered one of the best alongside forward Jesse Iweze as Green ranks second in the SAC in steals (36) while Iweze is blocking the second-most shots (28) and ranks third in rebounding (6.8).
  • Both teams split their regular season meetings during the 2024-25 campaign as Nelson held on for a 73-66 win on Nov. 16, 2024 before the Evangels put together one of their best performances of the season inside the Gaulke on Jan. 18 when they ran away with a 70-52 victory over the Lions. Incredibly, MACU held the high-scoring Clark to only eight points as no Lions player broke into double-figures in the contest.

Texas Wesleyan

• Record: 10-5 (6-4 SAC)
• Last Game: Lost vs. No. 17 Nelson (Texas) – 82-74 – Jan. 12, 2026 – Fort Worth, Texas
• Series vs MACU (2013-): MACU leads 17-9
• Last Game vs MACU: MACU won 81-73 – Feb. 27, 2025 – Gaulke Activity Center (SAC Quarterfinal)
• Series Streak: MACU won 1
• Players to Watch:
  • Daylan Hamilton – SR – G
    • 223 Points (15.5 ppg), 82-194 FG (42.3%), 30-85 3FG (35.3%), 39-61 FT (63.9%), 85 Reb (5.7 rpg), 21 Assists (1.4 apg), 28 Steals (1.9 spg)
  • Montez Young Jr. – GR – F
    • 210 Points (15.0 ppg), 95-170 FG (55.9%), 14-30 FT (46.7%), 105 Reb (7.5 rpg), 20 Assists (1.4 apg), 19 Steals (1.4 spg)
  • Matt Nero – GR – G
    • 183 Points (13.1 ppg), 55-141 FG (39.0%), 22-74 3FG (29.7%), 51-59 FT (86.4%), 37 Reb (2.6 rpg), 36 Assists (2.6 apg), 23 Steals (1.6 spg)
• Team Notes:
  • Entering the week as winners of six of its last seven games, Texas Wesleyan's week got off to a tough start as the Rams suffered an 82-74 home loss to SAC co-leader No. 17 Nelson on Monday.
  • The Rams have been a staple of defensive consistency over the last few years as TXWES ranks fourth in the SAC in points allowed (69.1 ppg), holding its opposition to the fifth-lowest shooting clip (42.4). However, the Rams are also allowing the highest three-point shooting rate in the league (38.1). On the offensive side, the Rams have been slightly more challenged, netting only the ninth-best scoring average (75.1), ranking 10^th in shooting percentage (44.1) as well as three-point shooting (31.5). TXWES has also had a tough time at the foul line, shooting a league-worst 63.3 percent.
  • Texas Wesleyan does a bulk of its scoring through its top four guys in Daylan Hamilton, Montez Young Jr., Matt Nero, and Khalil Turner, who are all scoring in double-figures. Hamilton and Young are the two-most prolific scorers with each averaging 15.0 ppg or better this season.
  • After Texas Wesleyan swept the regular season series against the Evangels last season, MACU got the last laugh in the SAC Quarterfinal inside the Gaulke on Feb. 27. In that contest, the Evangels secured an 81-73 victory over the Rams to ultimately punch their ticket to the NAIA Tournament as an at-large selection.