Lions drop out of Top 25
At 9-2, both losses to ranked teams
Team hosts LSU-Shreveport on Thursday
WAXAHACHIE, Texas -- The second Coaches Top 25 Poll of teams in Division I of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) was announced on Tuesday, revealing Southwestern Assemblies of God University’s men’s basketball team had dropped from #20 to #28.
The Lions had made their loftiest position ever the week before at No. 20, garnering 111 votes.
Losing at home to Texas College, 71-58, on Monday, December 3, was the culprit. So was making 8-of-22 free throws in the close game.
The Steers, who are fellow members in the Red River Athletic Conference, replaced the Lions in the Top 25. Now at No. 24, Texas College (10-1) makes their first-ever appearance in the poll. They deserve it. The Horns have also defeated LSU-Shreveport and Texas Wesleyan University.
SAGU is in the group who are “Receiving Votes,” at No. 28, with 29 votes.
Texas Wesleyan (8-2) appears at No. 12. The Rams host SAGU next Monday, Dec. 17, in Ft. Worth. Also representing the RRAC in the rankings is Wiley College (8-3) at No. 34.
There are 236 men’s basketball teams in the NAIA, 105 of them in Division I.
The Lions were at No. 26 in the Pre-Season Poll, as were Our Lady of the Lake University at No. 7, and LSU-Shreveport at No. 35.
SAGU will host the LSUS Pilots on Thursday at 7:30pm (CST). They finished last season at No. 7 in the nation with a 27-8
mark and will be a stern test for the Lions.
LSUS, 6-2 overall and 2-1 in the RRAC, have fallen only to Paul Quinn College (6-1), 122-120, and to Texas College, 82-69.
That means the Lions, now 9-2, will face two traditional powers in five days, along with a 414-mile trip on Saturday to take on the University of the Southwest in Hobbs, New Mexico.
The next poll will be announced on Tuesday, January 8. It will include the three remaining games this month as well as the Jan. 5th home game against St. Thomas. That game will be broadcast by SAGU Sports Live in HD.
The Lions other loss, also at home, came against No. 5 Westmont College (Cal), 69-65, in overtime. The Warriors are 7-1.
Head Coach Donnie Bostwick reminds fans that the season is a marathon, not a sprint, and the team’s goals all remain in focus and within reach.
This is the Lions’ final year in the RRAC. Next season they move to the Sooner Athletic Conference, which currently has four teams in the Top 25, including No. 1 Oklahoma Baptist University and No. 9 Rogers State University (Ok).
Contact: Mark “Link” Warde, SAGU Sports Information Director, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at 469-658-2847.
NAIA Coaches Top 25 Poll
| Rank | School | Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma Baptist | 10-1 | 279 |
| 2 | Cumberlands (KY) | 12-0 | 274 |
| 3 | Lee (TN) | 11-0 | 263 |
| 4 | Pikeville (KY) | 11-1 | 250 |
| 5 | Westmont (CA) | 7-1 | 242 |
| 6 | Columbia (MO) | 9-0 | 235 |
| 7 | Westminster (UT) | 9-1 | 228 |
| 8 | Lindsey Wilson (KY) | 12-1 | 219 |
| 9 | Rogers State (OK) | 10-2 | 215 |
| 10 | William Carey (MS) | 9-1 | 183 |
| 11 | Lewis-Clark State (ID) | 12-0 | 181 |
| 12 | Texas Wesleyan | 8-1 | 180 |
| 13 | MidAmerica Nazarene (KS) | 10-2 | 174 |
| 14 | Science & Arts (OK) | 7-1 | 162 |
| 15 | Cal State-San Marcos | 8-4 | 160 |
| 16 | Xavier (LA) | 9-2 | 140 |
| 17 | Bethel (TN) | 12-1 | 132 |
| 18 | Evangel (MO) | 9-3 | 130 |
| 19 | Concordia (CA)* | 6-3 | 119 |
| 20 | Campbellsville (KY) | 8-3 | 92 |
| 21 | Faulkner (AL) | 10-2 | 90 |
| T22 | Oklahoma City | 6-1 | 89 |
| T22 | Montana State-Northern | 11-2 | 89 |
| 24 | Teas College | 9-1 | 83 |
| 25 | Southern-New Orleans (LA) | 4-1 | 79 |
*Defending National Champions
Others Receiving Votes: John Brown (Ark) 68; Biola (Cal) 37; SAGU (Tx) 29; Georgetown (Ky) 25; Loyola (La) 11; Montana Western 10; Mid-Continent (Ky) 5; Culver-Stockton (Mo) 5; Wiley College (Tx) 4.
