Men's Basketball | 1/15/2010 12:00:00 AM
Box Score Wichita, Kan. – Chris Jackson netted 26 points, including a three-point play in the final minutes, to lead Friends University to a 75-70 victory over the McPherson College men’s basketball team Thursday night in the Garvey Center.
The loss is the first in conference play for the Bulldogs, as they drop to 13-3 overall and 6-1 in KCAC action, while the Falcons improve to 12-5 and stay perfect, 7-0, in league play.
Senior guard Mike Reece led the Bulldogs with 23 points to go along with four rebounds, while sophomore Aaron Frazier added 12. Senior forward Antowine Lamb recorded his second double double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds in the effort.
The Bulldogs, who entered the night shooting a league best 46.5 percent from the field, connected on 28-of-60 (46.7 percent) attempts, but shot a dismal 1-of-11 from beyond the three point arc. McPherson converted 17 Falcon turnovers into eight steals and 20 points, but it was not enough to stop the consistent Falcon offense.
Late in the second half, McPherson clung to a slim five point advantage, 63-58 with 5:25 remaining. However, a pair of missed free throws by the Bulldogs opened the door for the Falcons. Senior forward Romar Jones sparked a 16-4 Falcon run with a three-point basket to cut the McPherson lead to two, 63-61.
The Friends run spanned five minutes and left the Bulldogs facing a seven-point deficit with 20 seconds remaining in the contest. Aaron Frazier came around two screens to nail a three-pointer to bring the game within four, but Nick O’Nelio hit one of two free throws to put the game out of reach.
McPherson jumped out to an early 23-10 lead with 7:20 left in the first half, but a five minute stretch with only one field goal brought the game back to even, 28-28 with a little over a minute left in the opening period. The Falcons connected on 3-of-4 free throws to take a slim 31-30 advantage into halftime.
Despite being held to 22.2 percent (6-of-27) shooting in the first half, Friends finished the night shooting 37.9 percent from the field, including 30.4 percent from beyond the three-point arc. The Falcons out rebounded the Bulldogs, 44-35, including 15 offensive rebounds.
McPherson looks to bounce back Saturday night, as the Bulldogs take on the Sterling College Warriors at 7:00 p.m. inside the McPherson Sport Center.
