Since achieving its number eight ranking in the first USCAA Division 1 men’s basketball poll earlier this month, the Mid-Atlantic Christian University Mustangs have cooled off from their early season start, dropping three of four contests to fall to 4-4 overall. The latest of those was a 76-71 loss at Carolina University on Saturday. First-year head coach Charles Sims is taking this as an opportunity for evaluation.

“We have to continue to improve in our weak areas of the game to achieve victories in games like these, said Sims. “This was yet another learning experience that we will build upon to get better and get us to that next level where the outcome of the game will be different.”

MACU led by 11 at halftime, but the Bruins took control going into the break.

“Saturday’s game was a contest that really pushed us to our limits,” Sims appraised. “The first half and the second half were two different games for us. The players played hard and met the challenges and our first half goals, and our defense allowed us to capitalize off of the Bruins turnovers in the first half, and as a team we only committed 3 turnovers in the first half.”

But then…

“Carolina University was able to hit a 3-pointer before halftime which gave them momentum into the half. At times in the second half we did not execute well. The Bruins had a plan, and they executed it to perfection in the second half: Get the ball in (Bruins senior guard) Micah Cooper’s hands and let him drive to the basket. He had too many free throw attempts for this game, which made the difference.”

Cooper finished with 28 points, including 14 of 17 from the charity stripe, and 10 rebounds. By contrast, the Mustangs had a total of 14 trips to the free throw line for the game, making nine of them.

MACU Senior Talik Totten matched Cooper’s 28 points to lead Mustang scoring. Noah Richardson-Keys added 13.

The Mustangs will next be in action on Saturday hosting Pitt Community College.

Image courtesy stretchinternet.com

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – Mid-Atlantic Christian fell short in its bid to finally knock off an eastern North Carolina on Friday night, but took a bounce back win at home on Saturday.

USCAA 8th-ranked MACU suffered through a bad shooting performance (30%) at NC Wesleyan 79-52 to begin a three-game weekend. “As a team, we did not shoot well at all from the floor, free throws or from the threes,” Mustangs coach Charles Sims said after the loss. “Too many costly turnovers, forced and unforced, was also a contributing factor. We had moments defensively where we could not get stops, and until we get better defensively as a team against these Division 3 opponents, we will have problems.”

But the Mustangs found their touch in the first half on Saturday afternoon, shooting 48.6% for the half and 42.4% for the game while holding visiting Christendom College to 31% for the game, in a 64-49 win.

“It was a good bounce-back win today,” Sims said. “Christendom never stopped coming at us. Our defense stepped up with a better performance and our shooting percentage improved from Friday night.”

Talik Totten led MACU (4-2 overall, 0-0 NSAC) with 22 points.

The Mustangs wrap up their 3-game weekend on Sunday taking on Greensboro College in the Roger Taylor Invitational at NC Wesleyan in Rocky Mount.

Image courtesy USCAA Sports Network

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – Mid-Atlantic Christian sprinted to a 13-0 lead in its home opener and never looked back in running away from The Crown College (TN) 111-66 in men’s basketball Saturday afternoon.

“The team came out focused and on a mission for today’s game,” said Mustangs coach Charles Sims. “We were able to set the tone and control tempo of the game from the onset. Each player knew what was expected and followed the game plan to precision.”

MACU (3-1 overall, 0-0 NSAC) shot 55.6% for the game and scored 38 points off turnovers while holding Crown (1-4) to just 6.

Senior guard Talik Totten led the scoring with 31 points while shooting a blistering 13 of 15 from the field (86.6%), including 5 of 6 from beyond the arc. Noah Richardson-Keys added 16, Micah Coburn contributed 14, and three other Mustangs added 13 points each in a game where every MACU player but one got into the scoring column. Justin Barrett led the Royal Crusaders with 14.

In spite of the 45-point final margin, Sims says the Herd has room for improvement. “We still have work to do in certain areas of the game to really reach our full potential. Until we achieve that, we will not be satisfied,” added Sims.

MONTREAT, N.C.— Mid-Atlantic Christian went on the road to open its 2022-23 men’s basketball season Friday night and claimed a solid 82-74 win at NAIA’s Montreat inb the first game under first-year head coach Charles Sims.
 
MACU (1-0) started the game with a quick 7-3 run before extending the advantage to 12-5 thanks to pressure in the Cavs’ backcourt. That press coupled with a 30 percent shooting clip for the home team allowed the visitors to build their edge out to double digits midway through the frame.
 
The Mustangs led in categories that made an immense difference in the outcome of the first period as MACU caused seven Montreat turnovers, forced an 0-10 3-point shooting stretch from the Cavaliers and outrebounded the Cavs on the glass 23-16 over the initial 20 minutes of action.
 
The Cavaliers’ shooting woes allowed the Mustangs to take a 38-29 lead into the break. At the half, the Cavs converted at a 37.9 percent rate (11-29 FG), while Mid-Atlantic Christian made 41.2 percent (14-34 FG) of its shots.
 
Defensive strength turned into offensive production for the Cavs, and a 12-4 run to start the second period helped Montreat immediately trim the deficit to a single possession (42-40) just 5:05 into the frame.
 
But the Herd responded with a 12-4 scoring spree of its own, and the Mustangs then built the advantage out to as many as 17 points (74-57) with 6:20 to go; however, Montreat wasn’t quite done either.
 
Over the ensuing 3:19, the Cavs scored 13 consecutive points, started by the first 3-point make of the night, a longball from Montreat’s Michael Erbeck. The Cavaliers got within four points on three separate occasions down the stretch, but MACU was able to ice the contest from the free throw line to secure the 8-point victory.
 
Both teams shot better in the second half as Montreat edged Mid-Atlantic Christian in field goal percentage (45.9-45.6). The visitors controlled the glass and converted from the charity stripe, which played an integral part in the upset. MACU held a 37-27 rebounding edge with 12 offensive boards and made 26 of 32 free throws to account for 32.0 percent of its scoring. The Cavs struggled from deep, making just one three in their 21 tries (4.8 percent).

All five Mustang starters scored double digits in a balanced attack led by senior guard Talik Totten’s 16 points.

“It was the first game of the season, and we took care of business,” said Sims.

“Tonight the tougher team won. Give credit where it’s due. MACU won the battle on the boards, got to the line more and made more plays down the stretch than we did,” said Montreat head coach Anthony Barringer.

Story courtesy montreatcavaliers.com