Oklahoma City, Oklahoma –
Tahjae Hill goes for 18 points and
Quentin Coleman added 15 points off the bench, but the Pioneers furious comeback against Mid-America Christian University (12-5, 8-3 SAC) falls two points shy as they lose back-to-back Sooner Athletic Conference games for the first time this season.
Wayland Baptist (13-6, 8-5 SAC) got off to a quick 5-0 lead after a good 3-pointer by Hill and bucket by
D'Michael Bellfield. The Evangels quickly tied the game at 7, but Coleman was able to generate a steal and 3-pointer to give the Pioneers a 10-7 lead five minutes into the game. The Pioneers stayed on the attack early and built a 19-11 lead almost halfway through the first half after Bellfield converted another layup. The Evangels cut their deficit to 1 point after hitting a 3-pointer, but
Meikkel Murray was able to hit a pull-up jump shot to give the Pioneers a 23-20 lead with just over seven minutes until halftime. The Evangels took a 2-point lead with :34 seconds on the clock, but Murray knocked down another jumper to send the teams into locker rooms tied at 34.
After opening the second half by trading a couple of buckets each, MACU was able to take quick 40-36 lead after an inbound alley-oop. Three minutes later,
Jaxon Recer knocked down a jump shot on a dish from Hill to trim the Pioneer deficit down to 42-41. The Evangels had a 7-0 burst capped off by a 3-pointer off an offensive rebound to make the score 49-41 in favor of MACU. After MACU converted two free throws to push their lead to 10 with 10 minutes remaining in regulation, they knocked down their next three jumpers including two 3-pointers to take a 65-47 lead. The Evangels took their largest lead of the game at 19 points with 6:32 remaining in regulation.
The Pioneers found a jolt of energy and were able to fight back in this game quickly. The run started with an 8-0 burst that was capped off by a Hill and-one conversion to make the score 72-60 with 4:27 remaining. The Pioneers then cut their deficit to 74-66 after another and-one conversion this time by
Rodney Carson Jr. With just over two minutes remaining in regulation, Coleman drilled a 3-pointer to make it a 76-71 MACU. With just under :20 remaining, Hill drained a 3-pointer to shrink the Evangels lead to 79-77. After MACU converted two free throws, Coleman came down the other way and banked in a deep 3-pointer to make the score 81-80 MACU with just :12 left in the game. With 5 seconds left and the score 83-82 in favor of MACU, the Evangels went 1-2 from the free throw line, giving the Pioneers an opportunity to win the game. However, the Pioneer comeback would fall just short after a missed 3-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game.
Tahjae Hill went for 18 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Quentin Coleman added 15 points, 2 rebounds, and went 3-7 from 3-point range in 15 minutes off the bench.
Meikkel Murray scored 15 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and shot 6-10 from the floor.
D'Michael Bellfield added 14 points on 6-7 field goals made.
Up next for the Pioneers is a Sooner Athletic Conference road game against the Eagles of Southwestern Christian University (1-13, 1-11 SAC). Tip is set for Saturday afternoon at 4:00 PM.
