March 3, 2020

Waxahachie, TX – Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) kicked off postseason play as they hosted Wayland Baptist University (WBU) for the opening round of the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) Tournament. The Lions (23-7,13-7) were able to hold on to beat the Pioneers (20-11, 12-8) winning by the score of 74-72.

Top Performers

• Kentton Williams ( SR/Levelland, TX ) put together a huge double-double with 27 points and 15 rebounds.
• Howard Turner ( FR/Detroit, MI ) scored 14 and Josh Kashila ( JR/Euless, TX ) pitched in 13 points of his own to round out the double-figure scoring for the Lions.
• Mitchell McMullen ( SR/San Antonio, TX ) led the way with 3 assists for SAGU.
• SAGU owned the rebounding battle 46-33.
• The Lions shot 41% (23-56) from the field including 33% (5-15) from behind the arc.

Lions Review

• Darian Davis ( SR/Garland, TX ) knocked down the first triple of the night for SAGU giving the Lions the 9-4 lead early.
• Turner nailed a triple to put SAGU on top 19-16 with 11:17 left in the half.
• The teams would trade baskets as the Lions maintained their lead at 25-21.
• Both teams struggled offensively over the next several minutes, but Noah Boling ( FR/Van Alstyne, TX ) hit a big triple to give the Lions 31-23 with 2:16 before the half.
• Another long-range bomb by Williams increased the lead to 34-25 SAGU.
• The Lions would take 36-28 lead into the halftime break.
• SAGU pushed the lead out to 42-32, but WBU would answer with a 9-0 run with just a few minutes gone in the second half.
• Williams scored six in a row for the Lions to put them on top 50-46.
• WBU battled back one again to cut it to one at 55-54 with 9:07 to go.
• With the game tied at 65-65 Williams had a beautiful spin move and finish to give the Lions the lead with a little more than two minutes to go.
• Turner caught the ball off a great reversal and knocked down a massive triple to give SAGU a 70-67 lead.
• Williams missed a layup but stuck with it as he tapped it in to extend the lead for the Lions 72-67.
• WBU nailed a triple of their own to make it a one-possession game 72-70 with 0:21 left in regulation.
• McMullen knocked down two free throws to make it 74-70, but WBU went down and scored. SAGU threw turned it over on the inbound and the Pioneers had a chance to win at the buzzer but it didn’t fall.

What’s Next

SAGU will play the winner of MACU and SCU in the semifinals of the SAC Tournament. The game will be played on Oklahoma City on Friday at 6:00 pm.

As a leading Christian university, SAGU educates and prepares individuals who want to serve Christ and others. SAGU helps students discover and develop their God-given callings in a Spirit-empowered, learning community.

We believe in affordable tuition, made possible in part through the financial support of donors who embrace the mission of SAGU and the importance of affordable, accredited programs to train Christians for leadership in ministry, business, education, and service.

Most majors are available in-person in Waxahachie, TX, and online through a wide range of associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees.