Waxahachie, Texas – February 27, 2016- The Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) men’s basketball team knocked off a nationally ranked Mid-America Christian University (MACU) on senior day. The no. 14 ranked MACU (22-8 overall, 12-6 in the SAC) is also the second team in the SAC. SAGU (19-11 overall, 10-8 in the SAC) topped the Evangels, 86-76.
Rishaad Alexander , Jason Gentry , Emmanuel Adoyi and Andrew Erskine were all honored before the game and head coach Donnie Bostwick believes they were key in the upset, “I was never more proud of my seniors than I was tonight. They led us to a very good win over a talented MACU squad. Keyunta stepped up again to carry us as well.”
For the first three minutes, the game remained scoreless. SAGU was the first to get on the board when senior Jason Gentry hit a three point shot.
The Lions continued to build their lead, and with 11:55 left in the first half SAGU’s Josh Swearingin hit a three to extend SAGU’s lead to 11 at 20-9.
MACU continued to hang around and with 2:32 left to play in the first half, the Evangel’s Jason Nwisienyi got a 
defensive rebound and Malcolm Mann made a basket to come with one point with a score of 33-32.
SAGU’s Rishaad Alexander turned around and hit two free-throws. With 0:29 left, Keyunta Watkins hit a three to put the Lions up, 38-32 at halftime.
For the first 10 minutes of the second half, SAGU stayed on top with a double digit lead most of the time.
MACU’s physicality and offensive rebounding were able to keep them in the game despite poor shooting. With 4:26 left in the game, SAGU’s Watkins hit two free throws to make the game 71-63. About 10 seconds later, MACU’s Bryon Miller brought the score within five after hitting a three pointer.
Keyunta Watkins was on fire and made another three pointer continuing SAGU’s lead at 71-66.
The Evangels were able to bring the score within six after Malcolm Mann made a basket. With 2:44 left to play, SAGU’s Josh Swearingin made another well-timed three pointer to put SAGU ahead by nine. Nine points was the closest MACU would be for the remainder of the game.
“We have to have help from our bench and Josh really gave us a boost,” says Bostwick, “I felt like the bench was key to winning the game. It will be critical next week as we need to win multiple games in a four day stretch.”
For the Lions, Keyunta Watkins scored an impressive 32 points. Senior Rishaad Alexander scored 32 points and had 10 assists. Josh Swearingin had 10 points and Isaak Rowe added 13 rebounds.
The Lions are currently in a four-way tie for fourth place. MACU is now number two going into the SAC tournament that will be hosted at SAGU. The SAC tournament rankings will be announced by Monday, February 28, 2016.
Before the rankings are announced, Bostwick believes SAGU will see MACU again, “We will likely see MACU again next week. It is that time of year when you have to lace your shoes up tight, trust God’s plan and compete to win against whoever your opponent is. Championships are won one game at a time.”
Southwestern Assemblies of God University is a private, Christian university located 30 minutes south of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in Waxahachie, Texas. The university was established in 1927, and now offers more than 70 associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees on campus or online. More information is available at www.sagu.edu or by calling 1-888-YES-SAGU.
Contact: Natalie Tristan, SAGU SID, [email protected]
