Men's Basketball | 11/18/2009 12:00:00 AM
Box Score McPherson, Kan. – Senior forward Antowine Lamb connected on two free throws with 0:15 left in the game to put the contest out of reach, as the Bulldogs of McPherson College defeated their cross-town rivals, Central Christian College, 80-77 Tuesday night inside the McPherson College Sport Center.
“This was a great game and certainly my hats off to Central for their outstanding effort,” said Bulldog head coach Tim Swartzendruber. “Their zone defense bothered us, but I thought we really played well down the stretch. We were outstanding at the free throw line and we made a number of baskets on crucial possessions. Kasey Miller was huge for us off the bench tonight. We have a lot of confidence in him and he stepped up tonight.”
Four Bulldogs finished with double-digit scoring, led by senior guard Charles Moore II with 21. Moore connected on 8-of-12 attempts from the field, including 1-of-1 from beyond the three-point arch and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Other Bulldogs in double digits were seniors Mike Reece (11 points) and Antowine Lamb (14 points), along with freshman guard Kasey Miller who buried five three pointers for 15 points.
Central frustrated the Bulldogs for a majority of the first half, setting back in a two-three zone, eliminating McPherson’s up-tempo penetration offense. The Tigers built their advantage to nine at the 8:11 mark, capping a 5-0 run. The Bulldogs finally found their shooting touch late in the first half to take a one point, 36-35, lead into the locker room. Three three-point baskets from Kasey Miller and two from Marlon Dominique sealed the McPherson run.
After trading scores for the first ten minutes of the second half, the Tigers built a six-point lead, 62-56 at the 8:19 mark, capped off by a Don Gavin 10 foot jumper. McPherson took the lead back, 63-62, after sophomore guard Aaron Frazier nailed a jumper, connected on two free throws and blocked a shot to set up a Miller three-pointer.
McPherson would extend their one point lead out to seven (69-62) at the 4:56 mark, going on a 6-0 run which would prove to be insurmountable.
McPherson finished the night 27-of-60 (45.0 percent) from the field, including 10-of-26 from beyond the three point arch. The Bulldog bench came through in a big way, scoring 25+ points for the fifth time this season.
Sean High and Don Gavin led the way for the Tigers with 28 points apiece. High connected on 18-of-21 free throws en route to his 28 points, while Gain shot 12-of-19 from the field and chipped in nine rebounds in the effort.
McPherson returns to action next Tuesday (Nov. 24) for a second meeting with Haskell Indian Nations University. In their first meeting, McPherson defeated the Indians 90-71. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m. inside the McPherson Sport Center.
