The Thunder women's and men's basketball teams would be at Howie's Activity Center on Saturday afternoon to host the Central Christian College of the Bible Saints. The Thunder would earn a sweep of the Saints as both the women and men both won their respective games. On January 10th, the Thunder would fall to the Saints on the road 57-33. The women would open up with the Saints in a close battle throughout the entirety of the game. The Thunder would find themselves down nine after one quarter, but would cut the lead to three, 35-32, at the break. A three point advantage for the Saints in the third would put them up six going into the fourth. A 29-15 fourth for the Thunder would be enough to take the lead and hold the Saints off for the win, 78-69. The Thunder would force 27 turnovers and collect 22 offensive rebounds to help them to victory. The Thunder are now 6-12 overall, 2-5 in the Midwest Christian College Conference, and 4-3 in the NCCAA Central Region.

Four Thunder player would score in double figures led by freshman, Austyn Cox who had 20 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals, while junior, Nekayla Williams would have 18 points on 8-14 shooting in 17 minutes. Freshmen, Macayla Hines and Elayna Wegner would both score 11 for the Thunder to round out the double figure scorers. Hines would also snag 10 rebounds to record a double-double. The Thunder would also shoot 39.1% from the field, 29.4% from the three-point line, and 63.9% from the free throw line.

The #6 ranked men's team would face the Saints in the second game of the afternoon and would have the same result as the women and get the win by a score of 80-57. The Thunder would fall behind 6-2 early, but would use an 11-0 run to take a seven point lead and they would never lose the lead again. A 40-29 advantage after 20 minutes would be stretched to as much as 28 with 1:12 left, which would end in the 23-point win. With the victory, the Thunder move to 13-9 overall, 6-1 in the MCCC, and 6-0 in the Central Region.

The Thunder will play again on Tuesday, February 4th at home against the Kansas Christian College Falcons at 5:00 PM.

The Thunder shot 44.6% from the field, 40.0% from the three-point line, and 80.0% from the free throw line. Junior, Jaxon Hurla would have 23 points with five made threes on the afternoon to lead the Thunder, while sophomore, Davis Rokey would have 16 points, six rebounds, three steals, and three blocks. Junior, Xavier Lucas would chip in with 10 points, five assists, and three steals. The Thunder would force 21 Saint turnovers and have 17 assists on 29 made field goals.

The Thunder will play again on Tuesday, February 4th at home against the Kansas Christian College Falcons at 7:00 PM.

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Since January 14th, the Thunder men's basketball team have gone 5-1 and jumped two spots to the #6 spot in the most recent National Christian College Athletic Association Coaches' Poll for DII Men's Basketball. Of the five wins, two were over top-10 opponents in #7 Spurgeon and #9 Boyce. The other three wins were over Midwest Christian College Conference and NCCAA Central Region members, Calvary and Barclay, as well as Mideast Region member, Welch. With a total of 31 points, the Thunder are above Spurgeon, Grace Christian, Arlington Baptist, and Trinity Bible to round out the poll. For the full top-10 rankings for DII Men's Basketball, click this link.

The Thunder will be back in action at home against the Central Christian College of the Bible Saints on February 1st at 4:00 PM.

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The Thunder women's and men's basketball team both had the opportunity to play at home on Tuesday evening where they hosted the Barclay College Bears. The women would start off the evening hosting the Bears in a Midwest Christian College Conference and NCCAA Central Region contest. The Thunder would have an early lead, leading 10-8 after the first quarter. The Bears would respond with 16-10 quarter and take a four point lead into the half. A 36-31 deficit headed into the fourth would make for a close finish. The Thunder could not overcome the deficit and the Bears would prevail 47-36. With the loss, the Thunder drop to 5-12 overall, 1-5 in the MCCC, and 3-3 in the Central Region.

The Thunder shot 28.6% from the field, 33.3% from the three-point line, and 58.3% from the free throw line. Junior, Nekayla Williams had a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds while, redshirt-freshman, Madison Ellis would chip in with seven points for the Thunder.

The women will play again on Saturday, February 1st against the Central Christian College of the Bible Saints at 2:00 PM at Howie's Activity Center.

The #6 ranked men's team would finish off the night with a game against the Bears. The Thunder would lead from start to finish jumping out to a 12-1 lead early. The closest the Bears would get it in the first half was eight before the Thunder would take a 47-25 lead into halftime. The Thunder would take care of business in the second half, leading by as much as 37, and close out the Bears by a final score of 99-67. With the victory, the Thunder move to 12-9, 5-1 in the MCCC, and 5-0 in Central Region play.

The Thunder shot 58.0% from the field, 31.3% from the three-point line, and 60.9% from the free throw line. It was a balanced offensive attack for the Thunder led by freshman, Tatum Pierce and junior, Xavier Lucas, who each had 16 points a piece. Big men, Davis Rokey, who had 14 points and seven rebounds, and Fred Criqui, 10 points and six rebounds, would establish dominance inside early for the Thunder.

The men will also play on Saturday, February 1st against the Central Christian College of the Bible Saints. This game will tip at 4:00 PM at Howie's Activity Center.

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The Thunder men's basketball team traveled to Kentucky and Tennessee this weekend to take on two Mideast Region foes. The Thunder would have a top-10 matchup with the #9 ranked Boyce College Bulldogs on Friday night in Louisville, Kentucky. The Thunder would be in a tight game with the Bulldogs throughout the first half. TheThunder would find themselves down 11-6 with 16:11 left in the half, but would use a 9-2 run to retake the lead with just under 13:00 minutes. The Thunder would take their largest lead of the half, 36-27, with 4:44 remaining before the Bulldogs would close the half on a 12-4 run to cut into the Thunder's lead. With a 40-39 lead after 20 minutes, the Thunder would open the second half with a 7-0 run. The game would be back and forth with multiple ties and lead changes throughout the second half. The Thunder would take a 64-57 lead with 8:26 left and never look back as the lead would grow to 15 with 1:22 left. The Bulldogs would not go away as the gave a late surge, but the Thunder would prevail by a final score of 86-80.

The Thunder would shoot 53.1% from the field, 47.4% from the three-point line, and 56.3% from the free throw line. Senior, Micah Lovett would lead the charge with 25 points on 9-15 shooting from the field and 5-7 from the free throw line. He would also have three rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Junior, Landon Gray would have 15 points with three three-pointers, while fellow junior, Xavier Lucas had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Davis Rokey and Jordan Carter would chip in with 11 points and 9 points, respectively.

On Saturday afternoon, the #8 ranked Thunder traveled south to Gallatin, Tennessee to take on the Welch College Flames. The Thunder and Flames met earlier this season in Manhattan where the Flames would take down the Thunder in overtime, 113-106. The Thunder would earn revenge on the road and extinguish the Flames in a defensive battle, 64-53. The Thunder would lead for the majority of the game and take a 37-22 lead into the half. The Thunder would bolster their lead to as much as 21 in the second half before the Flames would cut the lead to single digits. Timely free throws would close out the flames as the Thunder picked up their second win in as many days. The Thunder would hold the Flames to 32.1% shooting from the field and 23.8% from the three-point line, while out-rebounding them 47-35.

The Thunder would shoot 41.8% from the field, 33.3% from the three-point line, and 57.1% from the free throw line. Rokey would lead the way with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. While guards, Jaxon Hurla, who had 13 points on four made threes, and Lovett, who had 11 points, four rebounds, and three steals, would contribute for the rest of the offense. With the two wins, the Thunder move to 11-9 overall and go 6-1 on their seven game road swing.

The Thunder will return home next week when they host the Barclay College Bears in a Midwest Christian College Conference matchup on Tuesday, January 28th at 6:00 PM.

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The Thunder women's and men's basketball team took a midweek trip to Belton, Missouri to take on the Calvary University Warriors. The women's team would be facing the #5 ranked Warriors to open the evening. The Thunder would hang with the Warriors for the first 20 minutes and trail 27-25 at the half. A back and forth third and fourth quarters would lead to a close game down the stretch. The Thunder would not be able to convert on the offensive end and the Warriors would close out the game with some free throws to seal the victory 61-51. With the defeat, the Thunder fall to 4-11 overall, 1-4 in the Midwest Christian College Conference, and 2-2 in the NCCAA Central Region.

The women will play their next game on Thursday, January 23rd at home against the Union Adventist University Warriors at 6:00 PM.

The #8 ranked men's team would take on the Warriors in the second game of the doubleheader on Tuesday evening. The Thunder would come out rolling taking an early 31-11 lead. The Warriors would go on a little run to end the half to cut the lead to 13 after 20 minutes. The Thunder would start the second half slow, but would turn it up defensively and close out the Warriors by a score of 82-48. With the victory, the Thunder move to 0.500 at 9-9, 4-1 in the MCCC, and 4-0 in the Central Region.

The men will play their next game on Friday, January 24th when they travel to Louisville, Kentucky to play the #9 ranked Boyce College Bulldogs at 6:00 PM.

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The Thunder women's and men's basketball teams both traveled to Joplin, Missouri to take on a ranked Ozark Christian College Ambassadors team. The women would open up on Friday evening with the #3 ranked Ambassadors. The Thunder would be behind 28-17 after one quarter and down 25 at the half. A strong second half kept the game competitive as the Thunder would outscore the Ambassadors 25-11 in the final 10 minutes. It would be too much in the end for the Thunder as they would fall by a final score of 77-59. With the loss, the Thunder fall to 4-10 overall and 1-3 in Midwest Christian College Conference play.

The Thunder shot 41.3% from the field, 12.5% from the three-point line, and 60.0% from the free throw line. The Thunder were led by junior, Nekayla Williams who scored 19 points off the bench. Freshman duo, Elayna Wegner and Macayla Hines would score 16 and 13 points, respectively. Wegner would also have six rebounds and three assists.

The Thunder will have another ranked opponent on Tuesday, January 21st when they travel to #5 ranked the Calvary University Warriors. Tip will be at 5:00 PM.

The #8 ranked men's team battled with the #5 Ambassadors on Friday evening after the women's game concluded. The Thunder found themselves down early and would be behind 34-23 at the half. The Thunder would claw their way back in the second half to tie the game on two different occasions, but would ultimately fall in the top-10 matchup, 68-63. With the conference loss, the Thunder now sit at 3-1 in the MCCC and 8-9 overall.

The Thunder would shoot 41.0% from the field, 36.4% from the three-point line, and 41.7% from the free throw line. The Thunder were led by junior, Jaxon Hurla who had 20 points and connected on four threes. Senior, Micah Lovett would have 13 points, while freshman, Davis Rokey would chip in with 10 points and seven rebounds.

The Thunder will be on the road for a MCCC game against the Calvary University Warriors on Tuesday, January 21st at 7:00 PM.

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Since the last poll on December 17th, the Thunder men's basketball team have gone 3-1 and remain in the #8 spot in the recent National Christian College Athletic Association Coaches' Poll for DII Men's Basketball. The three wins were over NCCAA Central Region opponents, Central Christian College of the Bible, who is also a Midwest Christian College Conference member, Kansas Christian, who were receiving votes to be in the second top-10 poll of the season, and #7 Spurgeon. With a total of 20 points, the Thunder are above Boyce and Pensacola Christian to round out the poll. For the full top-10 rankings for DII Men's Basketball, click this link.

The Thunder will be back in action at MCCC rival and #5 ranked the Ozark Christian College Ambassadors on January 17th at 7:00 PM.

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The Thunder men's basketball team traveled to Kansas City, Missouri for a top-10, NCCAA Central Region match-up against the #7 Spurgeon College Knights. The Thunder would lead the whole game, but the Knights would battle back to make it a one possession game before the Thunder would end up pulling off the win in a thriller, 77-75. The Thunder would open the game on an 11-0 before the Knights would score their first basket with 17:05 left in the half. The lead would grow as large as 20 in the first before a 19-9 run by the Knights would cut the lead to eight at the half. The Thunder would lead by as much as 13 in the second half, but the Knights would chip away and as close as one with 2:44 left in the contest. The Thunder would be able to close it out as a chaotic scramble at the end would lead to a three by the Knights that would fall short giving the Thunder the victory. With the win, the Thunder move to 8-8 overall and 3-0 in the Central Region.

The Thunder would shoot 40.3% from the field, 35.3% from the three-point line, and 60.0% from the free throw line. Eight Thunder players would score at least seven points for a balanced offensive attack. They were led by senior, Micah Lovett who had 15 points, four assists, and two steals, while converting on 11-16 free throws. Junior, Fred Criqui would provide a huge spark off the bench with 12 points on 6-8 shooting and seven rebounds, while fellow junior, Jaxon Hurla would have 10 points and five assists.

The Thunder will play again on Friday, January 17th against Midwest Christian College Conference rival and #5 ranked Ozark Christian College Ambassadors at 7:30 PM in Joplin, Missouri.

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