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After suffering tough 89-86 home loss against rival Southwestern Christian (Okla.) on Monday, the MACU men's basketball team will be looking to try and get back on-track when the Evangels face-off against Central Christian (Kan.) for a 3:45 p.m. tip-off inside the Gaulke Activity Center on Saturday.

 

MACU SEASON REPORT

• Record: 7-12 (4-9 SAC)
• Last Game: Lost at No. 3 Langston (Okla.) – 2-0 (Forfeit) – Jan. 19, 2023 – Langston, Okla.
• Stat Leaders:
  • Points: DaRaun Clark (253, 15.8 ppg), Eylan Goodwyn (208, 11.6 ppg), Seth Hurd (144, 8.5 ppg)
  • FG% (Min. 3 FGM/G): Eylan Goodwyn (71-145, 49.0%), Seth Hurd (61-126, 48.4%), Tarrence Gaines (41.8%)
  • 3FG% (Min. 1 3FGM/G): Jonathan Alexandre (23-62, 37.1%), Conner Calavan (31-89, 34.8%), DaRaun Clark (16-71, 22.5%)
  • FT% (Min. 2 FTM/G): DaRaun Clark (81-102, 79.4%), Eylan Goodwyn (54-72, 75.0%)
  • Reb: Tarrence Gaines (129, 7.2 rpg), Seth Hurd (75, 4.4 rpg), Two Tied (68)
  • Assists: Jaylon Barnett (55, 3.1 apg), Trevonte Doolittle (30, 1.8 apg), Seth Hurd (26, 1.4 apg)
  • Steals: Jaylon Barnett (23, 1.3 spg), DaRaun Clark (17, 1.1 spg), Two Tied (14)
  • Blocks: Tarrence Gaines (12), Eylan Goodwyn (7), Seth Hurd (7)
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian got off to a hot start to 2023 by winning three of its first four games to start, but the Evangels will be looking to try and snap a three-game losing streak after falling at home to Southwestern Christian 89-86 on Monday.
  • The matchup with the Eagles was a tight won as the only double-digit for either team in the contest came off a pair of SCU free throws with 50 seconds left to make it an 89-78 game. The Evangels were able to battle back by scoring eight straight points, but the comeback came up just short in the end.
  • In the defeat, Eylan Goodwyn led MACU's comeback efforts with 19 points, 14 of which came in the second half on 6-of-8 shooting, including going 2-for-3 from the three-point arc. Tarrence Gaines also put together a strong game for MACU by recording his fourth double-double of the season with 11 points and a game-high 13 boards.
  • One positive Mid-America Christian was able to take away from the defeat was its effort on the glass. Not only did the Evangels break their single-game NAIA Era rebounding record by outboarding SCU 62-33, but MACU also shattered its single-game offensive rebounds record with 35.

SCOUTING REPORT

Central Christian

• Record: 6-12 (4-8 SAC)
• Last Game: Won vs. Southwestern Christian (Okla.) – 2-0 (Forfeit) – Jan. 18, 2023
• Series vs. MACU (2003-): MACU leads 15-2
• Last Game vs. MACU: CCCK won 67-64 – Nov. 19, 2022 – McPherson, Kan.
• Players to Watch:
  • Isaiah Rivera – JR – G
    • 200 Points (14.3 ppg), 84-173 FG (48.6%), 8-47 3FG (17.0%), 24-52 FT (46.2%), 62 Reb (4.4 rpg), 55 Assists (3.9 apg), 32 Steals (2.3 spg)
  • Andre Shelby – JR – C
    • 150 Points (10.7 ppg), 63-141 FG (44.7%), 21-35 FT (60.0%), 143 Reb (10.2 rpg), 36 Assists (2.6 apg), 22 Steals (1.6 spg), 26 Blocks (1.9 bpg)
  • Demario Moore – SR – G
    • 165 Points (9.7 ppg), 53-156 FG (34.0%), 37-126 3FG (29.4%), 22-27 FT (81.5%), 64 Reb (3.8 rpg), 22 Assists (1.3 apg)
• Team Notes:
  • Central Christian has had a tough start to 2023 as the Tigers had lost five straight games since Dec. 31, but received its first win via a forfeit against Southwestern Christian on Thursday.
  • Overall, Central Christian has struggled on the offensive end during the 2022-23 campaign, ranking second to last in the Sooner Athletic Conference in scoring offense at 69.7 points per game while boasting a league-worst field goal percentage (39.9), three-point percentage (26.2) and free throw percentage (65.1).
  • Central Christian's offense will run through junior guard Isaiah Rivera. The three-year starter at point for the Tigers is averaging 14.3 ppg and is shooting 48.6 percent from the field, but has struggled from beyond the arc, knocking down just 8-for-47 (17.0 percent). Meanwhile, the Tigers feature one of the best defensive bigs in the SAC, as junior forward Andre Shelby is the only player in the conference averaging a double-double at 10.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per game while also posting a league-high 1.9 blocks per contest.
  • While MACU holds a 15-2 record against the Tigers since 2002, the Evangels will be looking to bounce back from their 67-64 road defeat on Nov. 19, which was the team's first loss to Central Christian since 2004. In the defeat, Trevonte Doolittle and Seth Hurd performed well, combining to score 30 of MACU's 64 points on 52.2 percent shooting, but the rest of the team struggled by shooting just 25 percent. The Evangels led by as much as 13 in the first half and six in the second half, but CCCK closed out the game by outscoring MACU 10-5 over the last two minutes.

Original source can be found here