The Basics 

Score: Evangel 78, McPherson 60

Location: Springfield, Mo. (AGFinancial Arena)

Records: Evangel (10-4, 6-2), McPherson (9-5, 5-3)

Box Score 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Evangel Men's Basketball played host to the McPherson Bulldogs on Saturday (Jan. 3) afternoon, their first game in 2026, looking to take a win against a McPherson squad that was tied with the Valor in the conference standings. A balanced scoring output on Saturday helped Evangel come away with an 18-point victory, 78-60.

Jacob Lafferty and Garrett Davault led Evangel in the first half in scoring, and the Valor were able to take an early 6-5 lead on a layup from Harrison Doennig. The Bulldogs would trail 21-18 with 7:26 remaining in the first half, but a 12-0 Evangel run with several baskets coming from Lafferty gave EU a 33-18 lead. McPherson cut down on Evangel's lead, using a 8-0 run that Tommy Pinegar put an end to, hitting a three pointer as the Valor led 38-28 at the halftime break.

Nine different players scored points in the second half for Evangel, as McPherson made a run midway through the half to trail by just six points, 58-52. Akarius Staten-Ballance hit a three to open a 18-3 scoring run for Evangel helping to put the Valor lead out of reach, as EU led 76-55, with 2:04 remaining. Lafferty wrapped up the game with a slam on an alley-oop from Pinegar to give EU a 78-60 win on Saturday over McPherson College.

QUOTABLE 

"I thought we played well in the first half, but were pretty soft on the defensive glass, giving McPherson too many opportunities," head coach Bert Capel stated. "We were much better at controlling the glass in the second half and played both ends of the floor well against a good McPherson team."

NOTABLE 

• Jacob Lafferty led Evangel with a double-double, scoring 22 points and pulling down 12 rebounds.

• Garrett Davault rounded out double digit scoring, also recording a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

• Evangel shot 52.7 percent from the floor in the win, holding McPherson to just 32.9 percent shooting and 7.1 percent from three point range.

UP NEXT

Evangel MBB heads to Winfield, Kan., on Wednesday (Jan. 7) evening, taking on the Southwestern College Moundbuilders at 7:00 p.m.

For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, visit Facebook at Facebook.com/EvangelValor, Twitter (@EvangelValor), or EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on their favorite EU teams by downloading the Evangel Athletics Gameday App through the App Store or Google Play.