KANSAS CITY, MO. (Box Score) No. 13-seeded Mid-America Christian (Okla.) made its debut on the national stage a victorious one, claiming a 84-70 win over Xavier (La.) in the first round of the 2015 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship in Municipal Auditorium. The Evangels advance to the second round on Friday, March 20 to take on the winner of No. 4-seeded Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) and Missouri Valley at 8 p.m.

Jerrick Massenburge led five players in double figures for the Evangels with 17 points, connecting on four of seven three-point shots and five of eight from the field overall. Semar Farris also hit four three-point shots to finish with 16 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Chris Runnels tallied 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Josh Smith and Brock Hunter also reached double digits with 10 points apiece.

“Our guys are hungry, and they came up here realizing that we’d be one of the few teams that have been here the first time, so they had a lot to prove,” said Mid-America Christian head coach Willie Holley. “They really came out ready to play.”

Mid-America Christian (24-10) made its living beyond the arc, hitting 14 of 32 attempts (.438) from three-point range to account for over half of its field goals. Xavier recorded one more field goal than the Evangels (28-27), but the Gold Rush hit just five long-range shots and yielded a 16-9 deficit at the free throw line.

The Evangels jumped out to a 12-point lead midway through the first half, stretching a one-point advantage at the 10:25 mark with the next 11 points over 1:49. Jarius Wilson and Reggie Davis hit bookend three-point shots during the outburst, paving the way to a 38-28 halftime lead.

Xavier scored the opening bucket of the second half, but got no closer than seven points in the second half, trailing by as much 24 points after a three-pointer by Massenburge.

“It’s disappointing for these players to have the season come to an end, but they worked extremely hard and should be proud of what they accomplished,” said Xavier head coach Dannton Jackson. “It was tough to fall behind early the way we did, but I thought the effort was there.

Mid-America Christian committed just eight turnovers and forced 15 takeaways that led to 18 points. Xavier claimed a 34-31 edge on the glass, though both teams grabbed nine offensive rebounds.

Morris Wright led all scorers with 27 points for Xavier, hitting four of the five three-point shots for the Gold Rush. Sydney Coleman chipped in with 12 points and nine rebounds, while RJ Daniels and Anthony Goode each recorded 11 points and combined for nine rebounds.

Xavier finishes its season with a record of 24-10.

Game Notes:
Mid-America Christian – Head coach Willie Holley is second on the NAIA active coaches wins list with 811 victories prior to the game, but was making his first National Championship appearance … The Evangels posted a 5-3 record during the season against teams included in this year’s tournament … The 24-point advantage in the second half was the biggest for any team thus far in the national championship.

Xavier– The Gold Rush fell to 4-16 all-time in the national championship, including a 3-13 mark in the first round … Xavier was making its fifth-straight appearance in the tournament and played on Thursday night for the eighth-straight trip … The Gold Rush has been ranked in 49-straight NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 polls and 62 of the past 63 … Xavier is now 0-3 all-time against opponents from the Sooner Athletic Conference in the national championship.