OKLAHOMA CITY – Coming off winning its first ever Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament, the MACU Women's Basketball team was predicted to finish second in the poll voted upon by the league's head coaches as announced by the conference office on Tuesday morning.
 
SEASON PREVIEW

• Players to Watch:
  • Top Returners:
    • Caitlynn Jordan – SR – F
      • All-SAC First Team
      • 2025-26 Stats: 409 Points (12.9 ppg), 151-383 FG (39.4%), 51-165 3FG (30.9%), 56-68 FT (82.4%), 248 Reb (7.8 rpg), 29 Assists (0.9 apg), 29 Blocks (0.9 bpg), 27 Steals (0.8 spg)
    • Monique Carter – SR – G
      • 2025-26 Stats: 217 Points (6.8 ppg), 78-167 FG (46.7%), 23-62 3FG (37.1%), 38-43 FT (88.4%), 97 Reb (3.0 rpg), 86 Assists (2.7 apg), 39 Steals (1.2 spg)
    • Aniya Smith – JR – G
      • 2025-26 Stats: 145 Points (4.5 ppg), 47-121 FG (38.8%), 16-47 3FG (34.0%), 35-46 FT (76.1%), 84 Reb (2.6 rpg), 31 Assists (1.0 apg)
  • Newcomers to Watch:
    • Ana Moleon – JR – G/F – Previous School: Cal Poly
      • Saw action in 25 games over two seasons at NCAA D-I Cal Poly
    • Fia Filoailii – JR – G/F – Previous School: Grayson (Texas)
      • Saw action in 49 games, making 21 starts in two seasons Grayson College
      • Scored 178 points (8.5 ppg) while also averaging 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game in her sophomore campaign
    • Mackenzie Heeke – SR – G – Previous School: Arkansas Tech / Howard (Texas) / Eastern Oklahoma State
      • Competed in 20 games for NCAA D-II Arkansas Tech during the 2025-26 season
      • Averaged double-figure in scoring during sophomore year at Howard (Texas) and freshman season at Eastern Oklahoma State
• Last Season at a Glance:
  • 2025-26 Record: 25-7 (17-5 SAC)
  • Mid-America Christian made history during the 2025-26 campaign when it made three come-from-behind wins in the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament to capture the program's first SAC Tournament Championship.
  • In that run, the Evangels battled back from 13 down at the end of the third quarter to defeat Wayland Baptist 59-49 in the quarterfinal. In the semifinal, Nelson grabbed a three-point lead with 34 seconds left, but Caitlynn Jordan's bucket seven seconds later cut it to a one-point game before Talayah Thomas came up with the steal and fastbreak layup to grab the lead before the Evangels put the game away from free throw line to secure the 67-64 victory.
  • In the title tilt against College of the Ozarks, the Evangels battled back from eight points down at the half to take the lead on Jordan's fade away jumper with nine seconds left before coming up with a defensive stop at the buzzer to seal the 71-70 win.
  • At the conclusion of the tourney, Caitlynn Jordan was named an All-SAC First Team honoree while Taliah Lee was named to the Second Team and Talayah Thomas was an Honorable Mention selection.
  • The victory punched MACU's ticket to the NAIA Tournament to make its sixth-straight trip to the dance.
  • The Evangels in conference play just barely missed out on winning the league with a 17-5 SAC record, finishing just a game back of Langston for the regular season title.
• What to Expect This Season:
  • While Mid-America Christian only returns three players from last year's squad, the three returners played an integral role to MACU's success. Senior forward Caitlynn Jordan was an All-SAC First Team honoree in her first season with the program.
  • Senior guard Monique Carter was a large piece of MACU's two point guard tandem, ending the year with 86 assists while also being one of MACU's most efficient shooters when she did decide to take a shot instead of distributing it.
  • Junior guard Aniyah Smith will also be looking to elevate her role on the team after being one of MACU's top players off the bench as a sophomore. Smith played a crucial role in the postseason for the Evangels, scoring 10 points in the comeback win over Wayland Baptist in the SAC Quarterfinal as well as 11 points against Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) in the NAIA Opening Round.
  • The Evangels added a wellspring of experience in the offseason with five collegiate transfers, headlined by the trio of Ana Moleon, Fia Filoailii, and Mackenzie Heeke.
  • Moleon comes to MACU after competing for the last two seasons at NCAA D-I Cal Poly. Moleon put together an outstanding career back in her home country of Spain, where she was part of the U-20 Spanish Championship team.
  • Filoailii put together a solid career at Grayson College, averaging just under nine points and four boards per game in her sophomore campaign.
  • Mackenzie Heeke comes in as one of the most experienced players, putting together two outstanding JUCO seasons at Eastern Oklahoma State and Howard before contributing off the NCAA D-II Arkansas Tech during their 19-9 season in 2025-26.
• Key Games:
  • Mid-America Christian will play an absolutely stacked non-conference schedule, opening the season on Oct. 31 at home for Homecoming against Texas A&M-San Antonio. The Jaguars qualified for the NAIA Tournament and advanced to the Second Round before falling to Hastings to end the year with a 24-9 overall record.
  • The Evangels will follow it up with a home game against a Friends team that also qualified for the NAIA Tournament after a stellar season in the KCAC, wrapping up the year with a 24-7 overall mark. That contest will be inside the Gaulke on Nov. 4.
  • MACU will hit the road for the first time to compete in the TXWES Classic on Nov. 6 and Nov. 7. The Evangels open the tournament against a Keiser side that went 19-8 last year after a solid campaign in the Sun Conference before facing Oklahoma Wesleyan to wrap it up.
  • The Evangels officially begin SAC play at home on Nov. 19 with a primetime matchup against Wayland Baptist.