For further reference: When planning something special for your team's final home game of the season or a Valentine's Day treat for fans, don't for Pete's Sake, invite Mid-America Christian University to participate.

     Monday (Feb. 14), in a Sooner Athletic Conference make-up game in the Singing Hills Recreation Center, the visiting Evangels breezed past the University of North Texas-Dallas men, 85-71. The game wasn't nearly as close as the score might indicate. Only when the visitors began to substitute freely midway through the second half did a lengthy 20-point lead begin to shrink.

     Hoping to improve their placement in the league standings with post-season tournament seedings on the horizon, the Trailblazers never seriously threatened after Mid-America took a double-digit lead midway through the first half. By intermission they had built a 40-21 advantage and maintained the margin until allowing the subs to take over.

    UNTD took advantage of the new faces and actually trimmed the margin to 74-64 before Evangels coach Josh Gamblin returned his starters to quell the rally.

     The victory allowed Mid-America to even its league record at 10-10 while the Trailblazers fell to 7-13 and will likely be looking at a road trip once the SAC tournament gets underway. Later this week, they and the UNTD women will close out their regular season with visits to Panhandle State (Feb. 17) and  Wayland Baptist (Feb. 19).

     Larry Rusk led the Trailblazers scoring with 19 points, followed by Vernon Johnson's 13 and Christian Plummer's 12.  Five Mid-America players scored in double figures, led by Isaiah Hammonds' 20.