WAXAHACHIE, TEXAS – The MACU Women's Basketball team struggled in the first half but really found its shooting touch in the second half as the Evangels' second half efforts come up just short in a 74-67 game on the road against Nelson on Thursday evening.   
 
SCORE

• Mid-America Christian 67, Nelson 74
  • (RV) Mid-America Christian: (19-6, 14-5 SAC)
  • Nelson: (20-3, 16-3 SAC)

TOP PERFORMERS

• Talayah Thomas: 23 Points, 5-11 3FG, 4 Reb, 1 Stl
• Taliah Lee: 19 Points, 8-16 FG, 6 Reb, 6 Blk, 3 Stl, 2 Ast
• Mia Smith: 11 Points, 5 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Stl
• Caitlynn Jordan: 11 Points, 8 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Stl

GAME SUMMARY

• First Quarter
  • Mia Smith jump started the Evangel offense as she knocked down her first two jump shots including one behind the arc as MACU led 5-2 in the early stages.
  • Nelson stormed back in front to lead by five with four minutes to play in the quarter as the Lions started to heat up from range. At the first quarter media timeout, Nelson led 12-7.
  • MACU rallied late in the quarter to finish on a 7-0 and lead 14-12 after the opening 10 minutes. Caitlynn Jordan scored five of the seven points during the run, including a triple of her own.
• Second Quarter
  • After a scoreless first three minutes, Talayah Thomas got the runner in the lane to go for a four-point MACU lead.
  • Two straight Nelson triples snatched the lead right back from the Evangels to lead 18-17, halfway through the quarter. The Lions lead quickly exploded to 10 as Nelson saw every shot fall in a three-minute span. With two minutes left, the Lions lead was 29-19.
  • Nelson wasn't done there, the offense continued to roll in the final two minutes, as Taliah Lee added one from the free throw line to trail 34-22 after the first half.
• Third Quarter
  • Talayah Thomas started the third quarter red hot with consecutive three-pointers made, followed by Taliah Lee adding her own from distance as the lead was quickly trimmed to just one, three and a half minutes into the quarter.  
  • Nelson answered with a three of its own, then Thomas continued her good shooting quarter with a triple in response.
  • The Lions ripped off 11 straight as their lead quickly ballooned to double digits with a minute and half to play in the quarter leading 54-42.
  • Lee closed the quarter with five straight points, as MACU trailed just seven at 54-47 with 10 minutes to play.
• Fourth Quarter
  • The Lions once again had the answer to take their lead back up to 10, two minutes into the final quarter. The Evangels fought back as once again, the offense came from Lee and Thomas to trail 69-53 with seven minutes left.
  • MACU offense went cold over the next three minutes. However, Thomas cashed in yet another three-pointer as the Evangels were back within six at 65-59.
  • The Evangels turned defense into offense as Thomas did it all by coming away with a steal and turning it for two at the other end. MACU trailed 68-65 with two minutes remaining.
  • MACU continued to get good looks down the stretch of the final minute, but Nelson got the better of the Evangels from the free throw line and closed it out 74-67.

 
GAME NOTES

• MACU shot 26-71 (36.6%) from the field, 9-31 (29.0%) from 3-pt, and a season-low 6-13 (46.2%) from the free throw line. The Lions finished 24-62 (38.7%) from the field, 14-34 (41.2%) from behind the arc, and 12-15 (80.0%) from the stripe.
• The Evangels had four players score double-digit points as Talayah Thomas connected five times from range for a team-high 23 points. Taliah Lee had a 16-point second half for 19 points on 8-16 shooting from the field. While Mia Smith and Caitlynn Jordan both chipped in 11 points individually.
• MACU dominated the turnover margin, committing only seven turnovers and forcing 16 with nine team steals. Taliah Lee continued her defensive dominance with a career-high six blocks.
• Mid-America Christian falls to 14-5 in Sooner Athletic Conference play, falling two games back of second place, and one game ahead of the fourth-place spot.  
• MACU still holds an all-time record of 23-12 against Nelson, as the Evangels and Lions split the regular season meetings.

UP NEXT

• Mid-America Christian returns home for its final home game as the Evangels face Texas Wesleyan on Senior Day Saturday afternoon tipping off at 2 p.m. inside the Gaulke Activity Center.