Men's Basketball | 1/31/2013 11:46:00 PM
Box Score
McPherson, Kan. – After leading for nearly the entire game, the Bulldogs hit their free throws down the stretch to defeat Southwestern College 80-64; MC scored their final 15 points from the foul line, spanning over four minutes of game time and 30 minutes of real time. Mac is now 10-14 overall and 5-9 in the KCAC.
After scoring the first three points, SWC watched as McPherson jumped in front with a 22-4 run putting the ‘Dogs ahead 22-7 at the nine-minute mark. MC stayed on top by double-digits for the next few minutes but then had shooting struggles of their own, allowing the Moundbuilders to creep back in, pulling within seven points by halftime. The scoreboard showed 30-23 as the two teams headed to their respective locker rooms.
The Bulldogs made 11-of-30 from the floor including 5-of-10 from deep with most of their three balls coming during their big push in the middle of the period; they went 50% from the stripe as well, making 3-of-6. Southwestern hit 9-of-27 field goals with two being from downtown; they went just 3-of-7 from the free throw line.
McPherson came out firing to start things off in the second half, increasing their lead to double figures less than one-minute into the period. After Mac cooled off a bit, SWC made an 8-2 run to pull within five points. The score difference would stay under 10 for the next several minutes until a 10-0 run by the Bulldogs put MC ahead by 15 points with 7:38 showing on the clock. The score would stay at that comfortable margin for the remainder of the contest with 18 points being Mac’s largest lead. The Builders fouled down the stretch to try and get their deficit back to a manageable number but MC hit their late-game free throws, giving them the 80-64 victory.
58.3 % of McPherson’s field goals made their way through the basket as they drained 14-of-24, none of which were three pointers as they shot 0-of-2 from deep; 22-of-32 free throws were counted by the Bulldogs. SWC hit a respectable 14-of-35 from the field, 4-of-11 from behind the arc; they made 9-of-12 from the stripe.
At the end of the game, Mac saw a five percent increase from their season average shooting percentage as they made 25-of-54 for a 46.3 field goal percentage; they drained 5-of-12 from distance and 25-of-38 from the charity stripe. Southwestern converted on 23-of-62 from the floor and were 6-of-16 from downtown; 12 of the Moundbuilder’s 19 free throws were bucketed. MC won the rebounding title as they pulled down 42 boards compared to SWC’s 37; both squads had 10 offensive rebounds. The Bulldogs tallied 12 turnovers but also 14 assists.
Adam Bruner (McPherson, Kan.) scored a season-high 19 points on 5-of-11 from the field and 9-of-17 from the free throw line; he also totaled eight rebounds and a team-high five assists. Samson Shivers (Houston, Texas) camped-out at the charity stripe as he scored 13 of his 17 points from the foul line; he was 2-of-5 from the field and 13-of-14 from the stripe. Joey Powers (Welch, Okla.) came in from the bench and scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting; he also had eight rebounds. Devirous Johnson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) was the game’s leader on the glass, hauling in 10 boards to go along with his two points.
Southwestern was led by Taylor Johnson with his 17 points from 5-of-10 from the three-point line and 2-of-2 from the free throw stripe. Their season’s leading scorer, Cameron Clark, who, as he’s done every game this season, entered from the bench to score 13 points; he was 6-of-15 from the floor and had nine rebounds. Tyler Shirley ended the night with 10 points after making 4-of-9 from the field and 1-of-2 from the charity stripe.
The Bulldogs are back at it on Saturday as they travel to face the University of Saint Mary Spires. The February 2nd game will be held in Leavenworth, Kansas with the tipoff set for 5:00 p.m. (CT)
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