Men's Basketball | 11/30/2009 12:00:00 AM
Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Hastings Neb. – It was a tale of two games, as the McPherson College men’s basketball team split their two contests at the Hastings Classic. The Bulldogs opened the tournament with a dominating 90-48 win over Doane College, but reversed roles in game two, losing to host Hastings College 88-44.
Game 1: McPherson 90, Doane 48
Propelled by a 20-0 run that spanned more than nine minutes of the first half, the McPherson College men’s basketball team downed Doane College 90-48 Friday evening at Lynn Farrell Arena in Hastings, Neb. The win improves the Bulldogs to 6-1 on the season, while Doane drops to 3-5 and 1-1 in conference play.
“We got off to a bit of a slow start, but once we forced a few turnovers and converted in transition we really got going,” said McPherson head coach Tim Swartzendruber. “Our pressure really bothered them and we shot the ball extremely well from the perimeter.”
The Bulldogs high tempo, harassing defense held Doane to 36.7 percent shooting as the Tigers hit just 18-of-49 from the field. McPherson forced Doane into 20 three-point attempts and the Tigers connected on only three of those tries, including a 1-of-8 performance in the second half. The Bulldogs recorded 13 steals on 19 Tiger turnovers.
On the offensive side, McPherson hit 57.6 percent of its shots, including 60.6 percent in the second half when the Bulldogs connected on 20-of-33 attempts. McPherson outscored the Tigers 43-21 at the end of the first half.
Five different Bulldogs scored in double digits as all 14 players suited scored at least one point in the contest. Seniors Marlon Dominique, Charles Moore II and Dwayne Thomas paced the Bulldogs with 11 points each. Senior forward Antowine Lamb and sophomore guard Aaron Frazier chipped in 10 points apiece in the effort. McPherson out rebounded the Tigers 36-24, led by Lamb with six.
Bryan Meyer was the only Tiger in double figures, as he scored 10 points. Eight of Meyer’s 10 came in the first half.
Both sides traded baskets for the initial five minutes of the first half. A jumper by Meyers gave the Tigers an early 8-7 advantage with 15:12 remaining in the first half.
From that point on it was all McPherson, as the Bulldog rattled off 20 straight points, capped by a Dominique layup with 6:22 left in the half. McPherson extended their lead to 23, 44-21, as Michael Darden connected on a jumper as time ran out in the first half.
Just as they did in the first half, the Bulldogs used another big run in the second half to extend their lead to 30, 55-25. McPherson’s run was highlighted by six layups, including two from senior Dwayne Thomas. McPherson ballooned their lead to 40, 78-38, thanks to a 10-2 run capped off by free throws from Trent Severs.
McPherson maintained the advantage for the final nine minutes to come away with a 43 point, 90-48, victory in its first game at the Hastings Classic.
Game 2: Hastings 88, McPherson 44
Earlier this season, McPherson defeated Hastings at home 83-69, but had no such luck the second time around, dropping the game 44-88 at Lynn Farrell Arena in Hastings, Neb.
“After playing so well the day before, I was disappointed in how we competed against Hastings,” said Swartzendruber. “We started slow, missing some shots in the paint and had some silly turnovers. Hastings was ready to play and shot well early. We are a much better team than we showed and hopefully we learned from this game and can move on.”
The Broncos pesky defense held McPherson to a season low 29.1 percent shooting as the Bulldogs connected on only 16-of-55 from the field, including a dismal 7-of-26 in the first half. The Broncos out rebounded McPherson 41-31 and forced 25 MC turnovers.
Freshman guard Kasey Miller was the only Bulldog in double figures with 11 points. Miller finished the night 3-of-6 from the field, including 3-of-6 from beyond the three-point arch. The freshman also chipped in two free throws en route to his team leading 11 points.
On the other side, Hastings completed the game with three players in double figures. Jeremiah Slough and Derek Fletcher paced the Bronco offense with 16 points each, while Wade Vontz chipped in 11.
McPherson stumbled out of the gate, as the Broncos held McPherson to one field goal over the initial eight minutes of the contest en route to a 16-4 run. Hastings extended their lead to 21 on a three-point basket from Wade Vontz with 44 seconds left in the first half. The Bulldogs entered the locker room down 18-39 at halftime.
Just as they did in the first half, Hastings opened the second half with another big run. The Broncos posted a 15-2 run, extending their lead to 56-20 with 13:38 remaining in the half. McPherson’s only points came on an Andre Dean jumper at the 14:37 mark.
Hastings extended their lead to as many as 44 before the final buzzer sounded, giving McPherson their second loss of the season, 44-88.
The Bulldogs will be back in action Thursday, Dec. 3, as they open KCAC play against Kansas Wesleyan University. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m. inside the McPherson Sport Center.
