Men's Basketball | 1/22/2010 12:00:00 AM
Box Score McPherson, Kan. – The McPherson College men’s basketball team used aggressive defense and a steady offensive attack, as the Bulldogs defeated visiting Bethel College by a final score of 77-59, in a KCAC game Thursday night at the McPherson Sport Center. Three Bulldogs scored double figures, led by senior guard Mike Reece, who finished with a game-high 16 points.
“I was pleased with how we played overall,” said McPherson head coach Tim Swartzendruber. “We limited our turnovers, created scoring off our defense and shot well. Probably the only disappointment was our free throw shooting.”
With the win, McPherson improves to 15-3 and 8-1 in KCAC action, while the Threshers drop to 5-13 and 3-6 in league play.
Leading McPherson was Reece, who got things going early. Reece posted 10 first half points en route to a game-high 16 points, shooting 7-of-12 from the field. He finished the night with two assists and one rebound to go along with his points.
Fellow senior Antowine Lamb fell just shy of his third double double of the season, notching a team-high eight rebounds to go along with 13 points. Sophomore Aaron Frazier was the only other Bulldog in double digits with 10.
Bethel drew first blood, scoring a three from the wing to spark a 16-9 run to open the game. The run included four three pointers from four different Threshers. McPherson battled back to pull within one on a Charles Moore layup, before taking the lead on the next possession, 19-18, as Reece converted off an Aaron Frazier assist.
McPherson never trailed from that point, entering the locker room with a 10 point, 44-34 halftime lead.
McPherson converted 18-of-31 (58.1 percent) attempts in the first half, while forcing the Threshers into nine first half turnovers. Reece led all scorers with 10 first half points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field.
In the second half McPherson cruised, scoring 33 points, while hold the Threshers to only 25. McPherson used defensive pressure to push their lead out to a game high 18 points, 73-55 with a little over three minutes remaining in the contest. The Bulldogs proved too much down the stretch, winning by an 18-point margin, 77-59.
As a team, the Bulldogs shot 56.6 percent from the field, converting on 30-of-53 attempts. McPherson forced Bethel into 18 turnovers, which the Bulldogs converted into 27 points.
Justin Schneider led the Threshers with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting.
With the win, the Bulldogs finished the home stand 2-0, and have won four straight over Bethel. MC returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 24 when McPherson heads north to take on Kansas Wesleyan University. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff.
