Men's Basketball | 1/26/2013 10:55:00 PM
Box Score
McPherson, Kan. – It was a fight all the way to the finish for McPherson and the Braves of Ottawa University; the Bulldogs ended the game victorious 65-63 after a pair of Mac free throws went in and buzzer beating shot by OU went awry. MC is now 9-14 overall and 3-9 in the KCAC, working their way up the conference ladder.
Both squads had a tough time making a shot in the first few minutes but once the shots started to fall, they did so in back-and-forth fashion. For the game’s first 14 minutes, the largest lead by either squad was five points, coming to Ottawa midway through the half. McPherson took charge at the six-minute mark and led by as many as nine points down the stretch of the opening period; a 34-28 score line, in favor of the home team, was on the scoreboard at halftime.
Mac shot the ball with 36.4 percent accuracy as 12-of-33 fell through the basket; just 4-of-9 free throws and 6-of-14 three balls were put in by MC in the three-point heavy first half. OU converted on 12-of-30 field goals and 2-of-2 from the stripe for their 28 first period points. Only three turnovers were logged by the Bulldogs in the first 20 minutes; Ottawa threw the ball away 12 times, eight of which were stolen by McPherson.
The ‘Dogs jumped out to a double-digit lead quickly in the second half, getting up by as many as 13 points which came five minutes into the period. OU would then go on an 18-5 run to tie the game at 52-52 with 7:42 showing on the clock. Mac would stay in front for the next few minutes but another run by the Braves put them on top for the first time in the second half. Ottawa stayed in front until there was just under two minutes remaining.
A pair of free throws made by Adam Bruner (McPherson, Kan.) and a bucket by Devirous Johnson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) gave MC a 63-60 lead with 1:17 left. Three-straight points by OU tied the game for the seventh time with just 17 seconds to go. A missed attempt from the stripe gave McPherson hope and back-to-back free throw makes by Johnson put the Bulldogs up 65-63 with only four seconds on the clock. Mac’s Bruner stole OU’s inbounds pass but then turned it right back over as he stepped on the sideline, giving Ottawa one last chance. A three-point attempt went deep for the Braves as time expired, putting the ‘Dogs on top 65-63.
McPherson’s field goal percentage went up to 40.7 in the second half as they made 11-of-27 from the floor with 3-of-8 nailed from downtown and 6-of-8 put through from the stripe. The Braves had 13-of-28 field goals counted in the period including 3-of-9 from the three-point line; 6-of-10 free throws were bucketed by Ottawa. The turnover margin seemed to flip-flop in the second period as the Bulldogs tallied nine while OU had seven.
23-of-60 field goals found the bottom of the net for MC in the game, nine of those being three point baskets; just 10-of-17 free throws were recorded by the ‘Dogs but they made them when they counted. The Braves hit on 25-of-58 from the floor and 8-of-12 from the stripe; only 5-of-18 makes from distance were logged by OU. Ottawa pulled down 41 rebounds to McPherson’s 36, winning the rebounding title but the Bulldogs out-stole the Braves 14-to-8.
Bruner had one of the best games of his season on Saturday as he scored a game-high 18 points on 6-of-10 from the field with 2-of-2 from deep and 4-of-6 from the stripe; he also grabbed a game leading six steals and had eight rebounds, tops of the team. Samson Shivers (Houston, Texas) was the next leading scorer for MC as he bucketed 2-of-7 three pointers and 3-of-5 from the free throw line for nine points. Johnson also totaled nine points, making 3-of-3 from the floor and 2-of-4 from the charity stripe. It was a team effort for the Bulldogs as nearly every player who hit the court scored.
Kameron Lindsay and Corey Smith each scored 11 points in their team’s loss; Smith was 4-of-12 from the floor and 2-of-2 from the stripe while Lindsay made 5-of-6 field goals but could only convert on 1-of-3 free throws. Smith also grabbed 13 rebounds for the game’s only double-double. McPherson’s defense did a nice job of holding off Chase Dippel who had just nine points on 2-of-7 from the field and 3-of-3 from the charity stripe.
MC next will host Southwestern College as they continue to try and move up the KCAC standings; tipoff for the January 31st game is 8:00 p.m. (CT)
Make sure to follow Bulldog Nation on Facebook (MCathletics) and Twitter (@MAC_Bulldogs)
