The Thunder women's and men's basketball teams hit the road in the freezing cold for a Midwest Christian College Conference and NCCAA Central Region matchup against ranked Ozark Christian College. The women would battle with the #3 ranked Ambassadors looking to avenge a heart-breaking loss at home about two weeks ago. The Lady Thunder would fall at the buzzer by two points to the then #4 ranked Ambassadors, 58-56. On Friday, the Lady Thunder would jump all over the Ambassadors in the first half taking a 12-point lead into the break. A hot shooting third quarter for the Ambassadors and a cold spell for the Lady Thunder would give the home team a lead headed into the fourth. The Lady Thunder would battle in the fourth quarter, but would stumble to the Ambassadors by a score of 67-64. The Lady Thunder drop to 8-10 on the season, while moving to 3-3 in the MCCC and 4-2 in the Central Region.

The Lady Thunder will play again on Friday, January 30th at Randall University at 4:00PM in Moore, Oklahoma.

The men's basketball team would also play a ranked Ambassador team who is ranked #9 in the NCCAA. They were also looking to avenge a loss last time they played earlier this month. The Thunder would come out flat and find themselves down 11 just seven minutes into the basketball game. They would battle back and take a five point lead with 3:26 remaining in the half, but the Ambassadors would hit a three at the end of the half to take a 37-35 lead after 20 minutes. A slow start again by the Thunder would put them in a small hole to climb out of to start the second half. A relentless defense and transition offense would boost the Thunder's lead to 13 with just over 10 minutes left in the game. The #9 ranked team would not go away and would take the lead late in the game, but the Thunder would hit clutch free throws down the stretch and earn the top-10 win over Ozark Christian, 80-77. Seniors Jaxon Hurla and Xavier Lucas would lead the Thunder with 19 and 18 points, respectively, while Hurla would hit six clutch free throws to give the Thunder the three point win. Junior, Hunter Hill would chip in with 13 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore, Tatum Pierce would have 11 points and eight rebounds. The Thunder would shoot 47.6% from the field, 29.4% from the three-point line, and 88.2% from the free throw line. The Thunder move to 13-7 overall, 4-2 in MCCC play, and 5-2 in Central Region play.

The Thunder will play another conference/region game on Tuesday, January 27th at 6:00PM against Barclay College at the Howie's Activity Center.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Men's and Women's Basketball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on the Men's X and Instagram and the Women's X and Instagram.

The Thunder women's and men's basketball teams were back at home on Tuesday for a NCCAA Central Region doubleheader against Union Adventist University. The women would take on the Warriors and start strong and never look back. The Lady Thunder would hold the Warriors scoreless in the first quarter building a 17-0 lead. The lead would expand to 22 before the Warriors would score their first basket of the game with 6:25 left in the half. After 20 minutes, the Lady Thunder would lead 32-10. The second half would be much of the same as the Lady Thunder would explode for 29 points in the third and extend their lead to 41 with one quarter remaining. The Lady Thunder would prevail and take down the Warriors with ease, 76-32. Six of the eight Lady Thunder players would score in double figures led by freshman, Tahlia Morris who had 17 points on five made threes. Sophomore, Elayna Wegner would chip in with 12 points, while the trio of Nekayla Williams, Macayla Hines, and Jasmine Holloway would have 11 points apiece. Hines would have seven assists as well, while Holloway would have seven rebounds. The Lady Thunder would force 32 turnovers and score 30 of their points off of those. They would also shoot 46.2% from the field, 47.1% from the three-point line, and 66.7% from the free throw line. With the Central Region win, the Lady Thunder are now 8-9 overall and 4-1 in region play.

The Lady Thunder will be on the road for their next game against the #3 ranked Ozark Christian College Ambassadors on Friday, January 23rd at 5:00PM in Joplin, Missouri.

The men's basketball team would also play the Warriors of Union Adventist and start a little slower, but gain control and take care of business. The Warriors would take a 7-4 lead early, but as soon as the Thunder took the lead a little over two minutes later, they would not look back. The Thunder would lead by as much as 22 in the first half, but would take a 39-20 lead into the break. After the intermission, the Thunder would start the half on a 14-3 run to force a Warriors timeout with 17:27 left in the game. The Thunder would lead by as much a 48 in the second half and would prevail over the Warriors, 96-57. 12 of the 13 players that would enter the game for the Thunder would score led by junior, Hunter Hill who would have 25 points on 11-16 shooting from the field. Senior, Xavier Lucas would have a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while redshirt junior, Jordan Carter would have 10 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals to pace the Thunder. The Thunder would out-rebound the Warriors 52-33, have 20 offensive rebounds, and collect 31 assists and 16 steals on the night. The Thunder would shoot 46.0% from the field, 29.4% from the three-point line, and 75.0% from the free throw line. After the dominant win, the Thunder are now 12-7 overall and 4-2 in Central Region play.

The Thunder will also be on the road for their next game against the #9 ranked Ozark Christian College Ambassadors on Friday, January 23rd at 7:00PM in Joplin, Missouri.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Men's and Women's Basketball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on the Men's X and Instagram and the Women's X and Instagram.

The Thunder women's and men's basketball teams made a quick trip to Moberly, Missouri to play in a Midwest Christian College Conference doubleheader against Central Christian College of the Bible on Friday night. The women would play first on Friday and fall behind 14-12 after one quarter, but would start the second quarter on a 10-0 run to take an eight point lead. The Saints would keep it close, but the Lady Thunder would take a 29-23 lead into the break. After three quarters, the Lady Thunder's lead would be cut to three headed into the fourth. Multiple ties and lead changes in the fourth would make the final 10 minutes very entertaining. The Lady Thunder would battle to tie the Saints in the fourth and be victorious, 59-56. With the conference and region win, the Lady Thunder move to 7-9 overall, 3-2 in the MCCC, and 3-1 in the Central Region.

The Lady Thunder will play again on Tuesday, January 20th against Union Adventist at 4:00PM at the Howie's Activity Center.

The men's basketball team would play following the women's game to try and put an end to their two game losing streak. The Thunder would find themselves up 53-47 at the half and lead by as much a 23 in the second half. In a game the Thunder would never trail, they would find a way to close out the Saints in a high scoring affair, 105-99. Senior, Xavier Lucas would best his career high from Tuesday with a new career high of 37 points on 12-14 shooting from the field and a perfect 11-11 from the free throw line. Lucas would also have 10 rebounds for the double-double. Fellow senior, Jaxon Hurla would hit six threes to score 22 points, to go along with four assists. Tatum Pierce and Hunter Hill would also score in double figures with 12 and 11 points, respectively. The Thunder would dominate on the glass out-rebounding the Saints 51-26. The Thunder would shoot 47.9% from the field, 45.5% from the three-point line, and 80.6% from the free throw line. By ending the two game skid, The Thunder are now 11-7, 3-2 in the MCCC, and 3-2 in the Central Region.

The Thunder will also play at home on Tuesday, January 20th against Union Adventist. They will tip off at 6:00PM.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Men's and Women's Basketball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on the Men's X and Instagram and the Women's X and Instagram.

The Thunder men's basketball team would play another NCCAA Central Region game on Tuesday night when they would travel to Kansas City, Missouri to play the #1 ranked Spurgeon College Knights. The Thunder would take a five point lead early into the game, but would be in a back and forth game throughout the rest of the half. The Knight would get their first double-digit lead with 3:18 left in the first half with a 49-38 advantage. The Thunder were able to cut the lead down to eight at the end of the first half. As the second half began, the Thunder would battle back to take the lead for the first time since leading 23-21 with 11:06 in the first half and they would lead 63-62 roughly five minutes into the second half. Another back and forth battle for the final 15 minutes would lead to many ties, but no leads for the Thunder. In the final moments of regulation, the Thunder would tie the game at 101 with eight seconds remaining. The Knights would get a shot at the rim, but it would not fall and the game would head to overtime. The Thunder would score the first bucket of overtime to take the lead, but the Knights would go on a 9-0 run to take a seven point lead with 2:36 left. The closest the Thunder would get it in overtime was four points with 17 seconds left. Two free throws would seal the deal for the Knights and the Thunder would drop their second game in a row. Senior, Xavier Lucas would score a career high 34 points on 14-19 shooting from the field, to go along with seven rebounds. Sophomore, Tatum Pierce would stuff the stat sheet with a 26 point and 11 rebound double-double, to go along with three assists, two steals, and three blocks. The Thunder would shoot 44.0% from the field, 34.5% from the three-point line, and 75.0% from the free throw line. The Thunder now sit at 10-7 overall and 2-2 in Central Region play.

The Thunder will play again on the road on Friday, January 16th at Central Christian College of the Bible at 7:00PM in Moberly, Missouri.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Men's Basketball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on X and Instagram.

The Thunder women's and men's basketball teams were both back at home this weekend for Midwest Christian College Conference and NCCAA Central Region action. The women would open up the weekend with a Friday night game against reigning Central Region Champs, the Calvary University Warriors. The Lady Thunder would jump out all over the Warriors with a 9-0 run to start the game. After one quarter, the Lady Thunder would lead 18-9. The Warriors would have a better second quarter as they outscored the Lady Thunder by two to cut into the lead heading into halftime. The Lady Thunder would respond by outscoring the Warriors 16-11 in the third quarter to take a 12-point lead into the final quarter. The Warriors would cut the lead to six with 7:16 remaining, but the Lady Thunder would push through and finish it off with 66-55 win. Redshirt-senior, Nekayla Williams would lead the way with 21 points. Freshman, Mackenzie Lovett would have a near double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds, while sophomore, Macayla Hines would stuff the stat sheet with 16 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and two steals. Freshman, Tatum Milenski would have a career high eight points in 24 minutes off the bench. The Lady Thunder would shoot 40.9% from the field, 30.0% from the three-point line, and 75.0% from the free throw line.

On Saturday afternoon, the Lady Thunder would battle with the defending national champions, the Ozark Christian College Ambassadors. The Ambassadors came into the game undefeated and ranked #4 in the latest NCCAA Division II Women's Basketball Coaches Poll. While the Ambassadors jumped out to a 5-0 lead, the Lady Thunder responded with an 8-0 of their own. After one quarter, the Lady Thunder would take a five point lead, 17-12. The Ambassadors would cut into that lead, but the Lady Thunder would lead at the break, 33-31. Another back and forth quarter would see the Lady Thunder hold onto a one point lead with 10 minutes left in the game. With 1:08 remaining, the Lady Thunder would take a two point lead on a Williams bucket, but the Ambassadors would answer with two made free throws on the next possession. A missed shot and a turnover in the Lady Thunder's final two possessions would give the Ambassadors the ball with 5.5 seconds remaining. Unfortunately, the Ambassadors would drive in and make a layup with 0.7 seconds on the clock and the Lady Thunder would drop a heartbreaker, 58-56. Hines would score 13 points and Williams would have 12 to pace the Lady Thunder. Three other Lady Thunder players would score nine points to balance the scoring output. The Lady Thunder would shoot 37.3% from the field, 27.3% from the three-point line, and 60.0% from the free throw line. With the Lady Thunder going 1-1, they are now 6-9 overall, 2-2 in the MCCC, and 2-1 in the Central Region.

The Lady Thunder will play again on Friday, January 16th at Central Christian College of the Bible in another MCCC and Central Region game. This game with tip-off at 5:00PM in Moberly, Missouri.

The #5 ranked Thunder men's basketball team would also play Calvary University on Friday night. The Thunder would be in a back and forth battle before the Thunder would extend their lead to double figures with 4:31 remaining in the half. The Thunder would lead the Warriors 41-26 after 20 minutes. The Thunder would maintain their double digit lead throughout the second half leading by as much as 20 late in the game and would close out the Warriors, 80-64. Five Thunder players would score at least 10 points led by junior, Hunter Hill who had 14 points, to go along with eight rebounds. The trio of Fred Criqui, James Braddy, and Jordan Carter would all score 11 points a piece to chip in for the Thunder. The Thunder would shoot 42.9% from the field, 31.8% from the three-point line, and 55.9% from the free throw line.

On Saturday afternoon, the Thunder would be back in action against MCCC rival, Ozark Christian. The Thunder would find themselves down 10 with 11:53 left in the first half. An 8-0 run would cut the Ambassadors lead to two and the Thunder would take the lead with 6:20 remaining in the half. The Thunder would close out the half with a 39-38 lead. The Thunder would come out of the half slow and find themselves down 11 seven minutes into the second half. The Ambassadors would take their largest lead of the game at 15 points with just over 10 minutes left in the game. The Thunder would cut it down to six points twice, but they could not mix stops on defense with points on the offensive end and the Thunder would fall, 86-76. Tatum Pierce would score 21 points, while Criqui would have a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. It was a cold shooting day for the Thunder as they would shoot 35.5% from the field, 30.0% from the three-point line, and 59.1% from the free throw line. After going 1-1 this weekend, the Thunder are now 10-6 overall, 2-2 in the MCCC, and 2-1 in the Central Region.

The Thunder will play on the road against #3 ranked Spurgeon College on Tuesday, January 13th at 6:30PM in Kansas City, Missouri.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Men's and Women's Basketball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on the Men's X and Instagram and the Women's X and Instagram.

The Thunder men's basketball team would travel to Crete, Nebraska on Wednesday afternoon to play Doane University for their final game of 2025. The Thunder would take a 3-0 lead on the first possession of the game, but the Tigers would go on a 12-0 run before the Thunder scored their next basket. The Tigers would take their largest lead of the game with 6:09 in left in the half, a 20-point advantage, 35-15. The Thunder would battle back to close the half with an 18-8 run to cut the lead in half, 43-33. A 7-0 run to start the second half would cut the Tiger lead to three. The Thunder would get as close as two in back to back possessions, but the Tigers would expand the lead back to double digits with 10:49 remaining. The Thunder would only cut the deficit under 10 points twice more from the 9:59 point onward in the second half. With early turnovers and the large early deficit, the Thunder could not overcome it and fall to Doane on New Year's Eve, 88-76. The Thunder would have five players score in double figures lead by senior, Fred Criqui who had 13 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. The trio of Hunter Hill, James Braddy, and Xavier Lucas would all have 12 points a piece. The Thunder would shoot 41.9% from the field, 47.4% from the three-point line, and 71.4% from the free throw line. The Thunder are now 9-5 overall after playing their final NAIA opponent of the season.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Men's Basketball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on X and Instagram.

The Thunder men's basketball team has dropped one spot and is ranked #5 in the latest National Christian College Athletic Association Coaches Poll for DII Men's Basketball after going 3-2 over the past two weeks. With a total of 34 points, the Thunder sit behind new #1 Great Lakes Christian College, Crown College, Spurgeon College, and Champion Christian College. The Thunder are now one of two teams from the Midwest Christian College Conference who are ranked as Faith Baptist Bible College is right behind the Thunder at #6. The Thunder are also one of two teams ranked in the week two poll from the NCCAA Central Region. For the full top-10 rankings for DII Men's Basketball, click this link.

The Thunder finished their Fall semester schedule yesterday and sit at 9-4 headed into winter break. They will play their next game on Wednesday, December 31st at Doane University at 3:00PM in Crete, Nebraska.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Men's Basketball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on X and Instagram.

Both the Thunder men's and women's basketball teams were back at home on Tuesday, as the Lady Thunder were home yesterday for the first time in over a month, while the men were the in the same situation today. The Lady Thunder would face off with the Hesston College Larks, a team they played on November 17th on the road and would fall by a score of 77-59. Tuesday afternoon would be a different story for the Lady Thunder. While they would fall behind 13-1 about halfway through the first quarter, the Lady Thunder would go on a 35-9 run to end the half with 36-22 lead. The Lady Thunder would lead by as much as 19 in the third quarter and finish off the night with a 71-43 victory to avenge the loss from just under a month ago. Four Lady Thunder player would score in double figures led by redshirt-senior, Nekayla Williams who would have a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman, Mackenzie Lovett would also have a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while point guards, Macayla Hines and Jasmine Holloway would have 13 and 12 points, respectively. The Lady Thunder would shoot 34.8% from the field, 36.8% from the three-point line, and 64.0% from the free throw line. The Lady Thunder have now won four games in a row and sit at 5-8 on the season.

The Lady Thunder will play an exhibition game for their final game of 2025 when they travel to play Metropolitan State University-Denver on Saturday, December 20th at 12:00PM.

The #5 ranked Thunder men's basketball team was also at home on Tuesday evening, but against a different opponent in the Randall University Saints. This was the first home game for the Thunder since November 11th. The Thunder would be in a back-and-forth battle throughout most of the first half as the Saints would force the Thunder to use a timeout with a 17-12 lead. The Thunder would claw back to take the lead 26-25 with 5:15 remaining in the first. After 20 minutes, the Thunder would take a 39-38 lead to the break. Another tight start to the second half would keep things interesting for most of the second 20 minutes. An 11-2 run would give the Thunder a 69-60 lead with just over 5 minutes remaining. The Saints would cut the lead to four twice in the next five minutes, but the Thunder would prevail and sneak out with a 77-72 win. Senior, Xavier Lucas would have 21 points and six rebounds, while sophomore, Tatum Pierce would have 17 points on 10-10 shooting from the free throw line. The Thunder would shoot 38.6% from the field, 30.4% from the three-point line, and 72.7% from the free throw line. With the win, the Thunder set a program record for most wins the the fall semester with nine and improve their record to 9-4.

The Thunder will play again on Wednesday, December 31st against their final NAIA team on the schedule in the Doane University Tigers in Crete, Nebraska.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Men's and Women's Basketball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on the Men's X and Instagram and the Women's X and Instagram.

The #4 ranked Thunder men's basketball team would travel to Moberly, Missouri over the weekend to play in the Central Christian College of the Bible Classic. They would play two non-conference and non-region games. On Friday, the Thunder would face the #10 ranked Southwestern Adventist University Knights out of the Southwest Region. The Thunder and Knights would be in a back and forth game for the majority of the first half before the Thunder would an eight point lead into the break. The Thunder would come out in the second half firing on all cylinders and take a 64-41 lead with 12:26 left in the game. The Knights would not give in as they would would go on a 20-2 run to cut the lead to five with 8:13 remaining. The Thunder would take care of business and close out the Knights, 92-80, to earn a top-10 win. Junior, Hunter Hill would have an efficient shooting going 5-7 from the field and 6-6 from the free throw line for 16 points, to go along with six rebounds and four assists. Senior, Xavier Lucas would have 15 points and eight rebounds, while sophomore, Tatum Pierce would have 12 points, seven rebounds, and two steals to pace the Thunder. The Thunder would shoot 54.2% from the field, 38.5% from the three-point line, and 79.3% from the free throw line.

On Saturday, the Thunder would face NAIA and American Midwest Conference opponent, Hannibal-LaGrange University. This is the fifth NAIA opponent the Thunder have faced this season and currently sit at 2-2. The Thunder would come out hot taking an early 10-2 lead on the Trojans. Multiple ties and lead changes in the first half made for an entertaining 20 minutes that finished with the Thunder leading 38-34. The Thunder would increase their lead to eight again early in the half, but a cold shooting slump would see the Trojans take an eight point lead with 7:16 left in the game. The Thunder would respond and take a 56-55 lead on a Hill offensive rebound and put back with 3:51. Multiple lead changes in the final four minutes would end in favor of the Trojans who would hit more tough shots down the stretch to win 70-64. Lucas would have 18 points and eight rebounds, while Hill would have 12 points. Jaxon Hurla and Colby Frehe would chip in with nine and seven points, respectively. The Thunder would shoot 39.0% from the field, 31.8% from the three-point line, and 78.6% from the free throw line. By going 1-1 this weekend, the Thunder are now 8-4 overall.

The Thunder will play their first home game in over a month on Tuesday, December 16th against Randall University at 6:00PM at the Howie's Activity Center.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Men's Basketball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on X and Instagram.

The Thunder women's and men's basketball teams traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska to open National Christian College Athletic Association Central Region play against Union Adventist University on Tuesday evening. The women's team would tip-off first and fall behind 9-8 after the first quarter. The Warriors would expand their lead to five before the Lady Thunder would have a strong finish to the second quarter and take a 24-22 lead into the break. The Lady Thunder would increase their lead by four after three quarters and use a 24-point fourth to close out the Warriors to earn a 63-50 victory. Freshman, Tahlia Morris would score 20 points to lead the Thunder, while fellow freshman, Mackenzie Lovett would have another double-double, her third in a row, with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Junior, Elayna Spilker would score in double figures as well with 11 points. The Lady Thunder would shoot 35.3% from the field, 28.1% from the three-point line, and 46.2% from the free throw line. The Lady Thunder have now won two in a row and are 3-8 overall and 1-0 in the Central Region.

The Lady Thunder will play their next game and first home game since November 11th on Monday, December 15th against Grace Christian University at 3:00PM in the Howie's Activity Center.

The #4 ranked men's basketball team would follow the women's game looking to bounce back from a loss over the weekend. The Thunder would come out cold shooting from the field, but would still lead 11-6 early to force a Warrior timeout. As shooting woes continued, the Thunder would defend at a high-level in the half court and expand their lead to double digits with just over five minutes remaining in the half. The Warriors would battle back and go on a 7-2 run to end the half making it 35-28 after 20 minutes. The Thunder would go on a 5-0 to start the second half, but the Warriors would not go away. A single-digit to 10-point game for the majority of the first part of the second half, the Thunder would ballon their lead to 25 with just under eight minutes to play and that would be enough to close out the Warriors, 88-71, to earn their first region win of the season. Junior, Hunter Hill would lead all Thunder scorers with 17 points on 8-10 shooting from the field, while senior, Jaxon Hurla would chip in with 16 points and four assists. Fellow senior, Fred Criqui would have 11 points and seven rebounds and four other Thunder players would score at least eight points. The Thunder would shoot 42.5% from the field, 29.6% from the three-point line, and 81.8% from the free throw line and have 24 assists on 31 made baskets. The Thunder now sit at 7-3 overall and 1-0 in the Central Region.

The Thunder will have a neutral site game against #10 ranked Southwestern Adventist University at the CCCB Classic in Moberly, Missouri on Friday, December 12th at 2:00PM.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Men's and Women's Basketball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on the Men's X and Instagram and the Women's X and Instagram.