Men's Basketball | 11/4/2011 11:21:00 PM
Box Score Denver, Colo. – Four Bulldogs scored in double figures, as the McPherson College men’s basketball team cruised to a 76-63 victory against Johnson and Wales University Friday evening in MC’s first of two games at the Wildcat Classic.
With the victory, the No. 11 Bulldogs improve to 3-0 on the season, while the Wildcats fall to 1-2 overall.
Sophomore guard
Samson Shivers (Houston, Texas) led all players with 18 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field, while converting 8-of-13 free throws. Additionally, Shivers recorded three rebounds and one assist in the effort. In addition to Shivers, senior guard
Aaron Frazier (McPherson, Kan.), senior forward
Jordan Crawford (McPherson, Kan.) and freshman guard
Kenny Berry, Jr. (Lee's Summit, Mo.) added 12 points each. Crawford also led the Bulldogs with seven rebounds.
In the first half, McPherson came out aggressively, and set the tone for the night right from the opening tip, racing out to a quick 15-2 lead in the first seven minutes. MC’s run was capped by Shivers first of two 3-point baskets. The Wildcats, however, used an 11-4 run of their own to cut the Bulldog lead back to 19-13 midway through the period. Despite the JWU run, McPherson continued to control the tempo, outscoring the Wildcats 17-7 the rest of the period to take a 36-20 lead into the half.
In the second half, McPherson maintained a firm hold on the lead throughout the period, as the Bulldogs cruised to the 16 point victory.
Overall, McPherson shot 43.1 percent (22-of-51) from the field and were 28-of-39 (71.8 percent) from the free throw line. Defensively, the Bulldogs forced 21 Wildcat turnovers, including 12 in the first half. JWU held a 39-38 edge in rebounds.
Jake Campbell led JWU in scoring with 13 points, while Chris O’Neal added 12 points and Cedric Ennis chipped in 10 points, respectively. Kahler Grandbouche led the Wildcats with seven rebounds. As a team, JWU shot 40.6 percent (26-of-64) from the field, but struggled from the free throw line converting only 31.8 percent (7-of-22) of attempts.
McPherson wraps up play at the Wildcat Classic tomorrow when they take on Arizona Christian at 4 p.m.
