Men's Basketball | 1/19/2011 11:16:57 PM
Box Score
Box Score
McPherson, Kan. – Five Bulldogs scored in double figures, as the McPherson College men’s basketball team snapped a three-game winless streak with a, 91-83, double overtime victory against Sterling College Wednesday night.
The Bulldogs (9-11, 3-6 KCAC) jumped out to a quick 12-2 lead as five different Bulldogs accounted for the teams first six field goals to fuel the hot start.
However, Sterling (10-9, 6-3 KCAC), who entered the contest riding a six-game win streak, cut the deficit to three, 16-13, following a pair of Zach Poole three-pointers with a little less than ten minutes remaining in the period. McPherson stretched their lead back out to nine three minutes later when junior forward Jordan Crawford (McPherson, Kan.) hit a pair of his own to make the score 26-17. The two sides traded baskets the remainder of the half as McPherson led at intermission, 36-30.
The Bulldogs shot an impressive 55.2 percent (16-of-29) from the field, while forcing Sterling into nine turnovers. Senior guard Trent Severs (Inman, Kan.), who entered the night ranked 12th nationally in total assists, posted eight assists in the period, while freshman guard Samson Shivers (Houston, Texas) led the team with nine points.
Junior guard Aaron Frazier (McPherson, Kan.) opened the second half with a layup off a Warrior turnover. However, Sterling again would not go away, as the Warriors rattled off an 11-2 run to take their first lead since the opening basket, 41-40, with 15:08 left in regulation.
The two teams traded the lead over the next five minutes, before the Bulldogs went dead cold from the field. MC failed to connect on a field goal for nearly seven minutes of the second period, but strong defensive play and timely free throw shooting kept the game close, 60-59 with less than four minutes left in regulation. Raheem Odomes gave Sterling a two-point lead with less than a minute left, but Severs answered the call with a running layup in the paint to knot the score, 66-66, and send the game into overtime.
In the first overtime, neither side could gain an advantage as both teams shot better than 65 percent from the floor and remained tied, 78-78.
Following a Sterling miss, Crawford connected on two free throws to give MC the initial, 80-78 lead in overtime number two. That start proved to be the positive momentum the Bulldogs needed, as MC converted 7-of-9 free throw attempts to gain the eight-point win.
Shivers led MC with 18 points that included a 7-of-8 night from the free throw line, while Frazier added 17 and Mason Hewitt (Norwich, Kan.)chipped in 16. Junior guard Adam Bruner (McPherson, Kan.) tallied a near season-best 11 points and Crawford rounded out the Bulldog double figure scorers with 10 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. The Bulldogs shot 48.6 percent (35-of-72) from the field for the game, 33.3 percent (5-of-15) from three-point range and 69.6 percent (16-of-23) from the free throw line.
Sterling guard Zach Goodrich led all scorers with 24 points to go along with eight rebounds and eight assists.
The Bulldogs will return to action on Saturday evening at 7:00 p.m. when they travel to Kansas Wesleyan University.
