Men's Basketball | 2/21/2010 12:00:00 AM
Box Score North Newton, Kan. – Senior forward Antowine Lamb produced his eighth double-double of the season with 14 points, 11 rebounds and one blocked shot to lead McPherson to a 73-59 win over Bethel College at Thresher Gymnasium Saturday evening. The win clinched the all-important second seed in the KCAC tournament.
“I thought our guys did a great job the first six to eight minutes of the second half defensively,” said McPherson coach Tim Swartzendruber. “Our focus the entire game was good, we just missed a number of easy shots and were inconsistent at the free throw line. Bethel played very inspired and was much improved from the first time we played. We are looking forward to the conference tournament.”
With the victory, the Bulldogs continued one of the best seasons in school history by improving to 20-7 overall and 13-5 in league play. McPherson’s second place KCAC finish is the programs highest since the 1995-96 season.
In addition to Lamb’s 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting, senior guard Mike Reece contributed 15 points and two assists, while hitting 5-of-8 from the field, including 4-of-5 from the free throw line and 1-of-1 from behind the arc. Freshman guard Kasey Miller knocked down 4-of-5 threes to finish with 12 points and four rebounds, while sophomore Aaron Frazier added 10 points, three assists and three steals.
McPherson hit 52.0 percent (26-of-50) from the field, marking the 11th time the Bulldogs have hit 50.0 percent or better. The Bulldogs out-rebounded Bethel, 39-30, including 12 offensive boards, while forcing 18 Bethel turnovers.
Defensively, the Bulldogs held Bethel to just 29.0 percent shooting in the second half en route to a 34.5 percent shooting percentage for the game. Despite struggling from the field, the Threshers converted 16-of-21 free throw attempts.
Bethel jumped out to an early 5-0 lead behind a Brody Grove layup and John Watson three-pointer, but the Bulldogs quickly match with a pair of Lamb put backs and a Reece layup to tie the game at seven. The first half remained close as the lead changed hands 15 times before McPherson grabbed a four-point advantage on an Frazier jumper, 37-33.
Bethel kept it close in the first half by forcing 11 McPherson turnovers, which the Threshers converted into 18 points. Both sides shot greater than 40.0 percent with McPherson holding a slight advantage at 43.3 percent. McPherson’s Miller was key in the first half, scoring nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from behind the arc.
McPherson allowed Bethel to get no closer than six points in the second half, that last time coming at 39-33 with 18:51 left. A pair of baskets from Frazier and Dwayne Thomas, and an old-fashioned three-point play from Reece pushed MC’s lead to 13 with 17:05 left. Leading 62-51 with 4:45, McPherson used a Miller three and a Lamb free throw to extend the lead to a game high 15.
The Bulldogs will return to action on Thursday, Feb. 25 when they take on the winner of No. 7 University of Saint Mary and No. 10 Ottawa University in the quarterfinal round of the KCAC Conference Tournament. Tipoff for the matchup is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. inside the McPherson Sport Center.
