Men's Basketball | 11/3/2012 12:38:00 AM
Box Score
McPherson, Kan. – Despite getting down early, McPherson men’s basketball found a way to win, defeating the Bacone College Warriors 71-64 in a fast-paced thriller. MC is now 2-0 this season.
A slow start plagued the Bulldogs for the majority of the first half as they let BC take control and dictate the tempo of the game; the Warriors got up by as many as 13 and held a double-digit lead until the final five minutes of the period. Shooting 45 percent from the field helped Bacone in the opening half and McPherson going just 9-of-30 doesn’t hurt either. MC’s four three-point field goals allowed the Bulldogs to be down just seven heading into halftime.
Coming out of the break, the Warriors were able to keep McPherson at arm’s length for the first seven minutes but an enduring Bulldog offense gave MC their first lead of the half at 12:44. The two teams traded the lead back and forth for the next part of the game with neither team getting up by more than four. McPherson finally broke free and took the lead for good with just under four minutes left to go at 60-59. A five-point run made the undisciplined Bacone squad uncomfortable and led to rushed shots; combine that with McPherson making 6-of-6 from the free throw line in the final minute, preserved the Bulldog’s triumph.
After a poor shooting performance in the first period, MC came out knocking down their shots in the second, going 12-of-25 from the field and an amazing 50% from deep (5-of-10). The Bulldogs ended the night making 80 percent of their shots from the charity stripe, hitting 20-of-25; they were 21-of-55 from the field and 9-of-22 from behind the arc.
Samson Shivers (Houston, Texas) got hot in the second half and ended the night with a career high 29 points on 7-of-14 from the field, 6-of-13 from three-point land and a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line. Devirous Johnson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) made it into double figures for the second-straight game, coming off the bench and making five of his nine field goals; he also hit 4-of-5 free throws. Senior Jake Reinhardt (Walton, Kan.) was just three points shy of his second double-double of the year, ending the game with seven points and 12 rebounds.
The defense of McPherson held a very athletic Bacone team to a 36.7 field goal percentage. They also did not allow a single Warrior to make it into double-digits.
Manhattan, Kansas is where the McPherson men’s team will play their next game. The team travels there on Wednesday, November 7 to take on the Manhattan Christian College Crusaders. That contest will begin at 7:00 p.m. (CT)
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