Men's Basketball | 1/7/2012 11:15:00 PM
Box Score Box Score
Wichita, Kan. – The Bulldogs battled back from as much as a six-point second half deficit, as the No. 5 McPherson College men’s basketball team picked up its first win when trailing with five minutes remaining, 64-62, Saturday night at Friends University.
With the victory, McPherson rebounds from its midweek loss at Southwestern to improve to 16-2 overall and 5-1 in KCAC play, while the Falcons fall to 7-11 overall and 2-4 in the league.
Aaron Frazier (McPherson, Kan.), who was second on the team in scoring with 13 points, converted both free throws with 5.4 seconds remaining after being fouled driving to the basket. Following a Bulldog timeout, Falcon guard Reggie Britton weaved through the McPherson defense before heaving a last second 3-point attempt that bounced off the front of the rim.
The Bulldogs finished the contest shooting 41.8 percent (23-of-55) from the field, while holding a 50-29 advantage in rebounding, including a 10-4 edge in offensive rebounds. Defensively, MC held Friends to 32.8 percent (19-of-58) shooting from the field, but turned the ball over 16 times en route to 16 Falcon points.
Samson Shivers (Houston, Texas) led the team with 15 points, while
Chris Crawford (McPherson, Kan.) recorded his first double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
The two sides ground out a sloppy first half with McPherson holding a 33-31 advantage at the break. Despite trailing, Friends carried the momentum into the break as Britton closed the half with a 3-pointer as time expired.
The second half was close throughout. The Falcons surged out of the locker room with a 12-4 run to take a 43-37 lead at the 15:36 mark of the second half. A 3-pointer from Shivers and Crawford free throw cut the deficit to 46-43, but McPherson failed to tie the score until 3:15 remaining in regulation after a pair of free throws from
Jordan Crawford (McPherson, Kan.).
The contest was tied or the lead changed six times of the final three minutes with Frazier scoring the Bulldogs’ final four points on a contested layup and his game-winning free throws.
Blake Wilson led Friends with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including four 3-pointers.
McPherson returns to action on Thursday, Jan. 12, when they host Kansas Wesleyan University. Tipoff between the Bulldogs and Coyotes is scheduled for 8 p.m.
