Box Score OKLAHOMA CITY – In a match-up of two of the highest-scoring teams in the NAIA, Wayland Baptist was held 15 points below its average as the No. 17 Pioneers fell to Mid-America Christian in Sooner Athletic Conference play here Saturday afternoon, 95-85.
In the NAIA's Game of the Week between last season's conference regular-season (MACU) and tournament (WBU) champions, the Pioneers (11-4, 3-1 SAC) suffered a season-worst 30 turnovers in dropping their first conference game of the season following three wins.
Wayland led 17-16 when MACU scored 11 unanswered points to take a 27-17 lead. The Pioneers fell behind by as many as 11, pulled to within five, then found itself trailing by 13 at intermission, 44-31 after the Evangels outscored Wayland 14-6 to end the half.
The Pioneers trailed by as many as 16 in the second half, the last time at 55-39 with 16:23 left. From there Wayland went on a 16-3 run over the next 3½ minutes to make it a 3-point game, 58-55.
After MACU began to pull away again, the Pioneers buckled down again and once more cut it to three, 81-78, after a 3-pointer by Waters with 3:00 to go.
The Evangels then made a game-clinching run, going on a 10-1 push over the next 1:40 to take a 91-79 lead. The run started with a four-point MACU possession capped by Nick Tate turning a missed free throw rebound into an and-one conversion.
Jordan Tolbert and
Robert Waters made four straight free throws to make it 91-83, but Wayland managed just two more points in the final 52 seconds.
Waters scored 23 points to lead the Pioneers.
Maurice Redmond added 16 points and nine rebounds, Tolbert 12 points, and
Anietie Jack and
Jordon Johnson 10 each before both fouled out.
MACU got 25 points from Tate and 21 from Jerrick Massenburge. Byron Miller added 17 and Devonse Reed 16.
The Pioneers struggled from 3-point range, hitting just 23 percent (5-of-22) compared to MACU's 10-of-30 (33 percent). WBU was 39 percent (26-of-67) from the field overall and 74 percent (28-of-38) from the foul stripe. The Evangels won despite shooting just 23-of-41 (56 percent) from the stripe and being outrebounded 52-42.
The teams sport two of the NAIA's top-scoring offenses, with Wayland ranking second at just over 100 ppg and MACU eighth at 92.5.
Wayland returns home for its next two games, at 8 p.m. Thursday against USAO (6-4, 1-1) and 3 p.m. Saturday against Southwestern Christian (4-7, 1-2). The 2014-15 Pioneers will receive their SAC Tournament championship rings prior to Saturday's game.
