GOODWELL, Okla. - The Oklahoma Panhandle State men's basketball team hosted and defeated the #21 ranked Mid-America Christian Evangels this evening 71-68 in the first conference matchup of the season. Sophomore Jalen Thomas led the Aggies with sixteen points in the contest and was perfect from the charity stripe to give the Aggie's back-to-back wins as they head into their conference slate.

The Aggies seemed evenly matched with the fast-paced offense of the Evangels. The away team came in with two conference leaders in scoring. The Aggies would match the intensity on both sides of the ball coming into the start of the game, looking to come out with a win against conference foe and nationally ranked MACU. Coming out of the first half, both the Aggies and Evangels would be notched up at 30 apiece. 

What the Aggies lacked in offensive output, they made up for it in steals, blocks, and rebounds to minimize Evangel's offense. Aggies finished with twenty-four rebounds, four steals, and three blocks. A half highlighted by Jalen Thomas and Auston Chatman. Thomas would lead on the offensive side for the Aggies while Chatman would clean up the boards and dish it out for the Aggies. 

The second half got underway in nearly the same way as the first. Both teams came out looking to drive to the rim to reclaim any lead they could, with each scoring 35 apiece in half. Despite the consistent scoring, the Aggies shot a better percentage from the floor than the Evangels. They were shooting 43 percent from the field goal in the second half. The Evangels managed to keep the score tied due to their three-point shooting in half shooting 33%. A dramatic half saw eleven lead changes and nine ties between the two teams. A half that came down to the wire on an Evangel possession and missed shot. Sending the game into overtime.

 The defensive effort on the part of the Aggies was the critical element in them staying in the game despite their shooting droughts. Having twenty rebounds to the Evangels', five steals to their three, and seven extra chance points. Numerous Aggies saw a resurgence in production as the game got heated. Rayquan Elliott would prove most effective, finishing the half with eight points, five rebounds, and a single assist and steal. Chatman and Pile would clean up the glass for the Aggies, helping them with their second-chance points. 

In their first overtime of the year, the Aggies remained consistent in their offensive effort to take down the Evangels as time expired. Overtime capped by two clutch free throws from senior DK Sumo, followed by a steal by Sumo to seal the game. The Aggies made a concerted effort to play off their strengths of driving into the paint to score and out scoring the Evangels 30-24 in the paint. 

On the hard-fought win, Head Coach Mark Laird would say that "We knew it was going to be very tough to beat MACU...even though they were short-handed. They are very talented and very well-coached! We talked all week about being focused and connected. We had to endure a really poor shooting night by making plays defensively. I thought our bench energy was great and every guy that played believed we could pull this out. We can enjoy it tonight...but we have another tough test on Saturday. There are no easy games in the SAC!"

The Aggies will be back in action this Saturday, November 20th, to face another conference opponent in Southwestern Christian University