Men's Basketball | 11/24/2013 12:30:00 AM
Box Score
Baldwin City, Kan. – It was an exciting one in Baldwin City on Saturday night as the Bulldogs barely squeezed by NAIA Division I Baker University 80-79, making a free throw with 3.4 seconds on the clock. The Bulldogs are now 6-2 for the year.
"I thought we showed a lot of poise down the stretch tonight," said Coach Swartzendruber. "We battled back from seven down in the final few minutes. It was definitely a great road win for our team."
After trailing 4-0, MC went on an 18-4 run to get ahead by 10 just a few minutes into the contest. Aside from the first three minutes, McPherson was on top throughout the first half; the 'Dogs got up by as many as 10 but never pushed it into the teens. Baker hung around and made just enough shots to keep it close, including the final basket of the period bringing the halftime score to 41-38 Mac.
The Bulldogs shot very well in the opening minutes, making 14-of-25 with 6-of-10 three-point attempts finding their way in; they were 7-of-11 from the foul line. BU made 16-of-38 from the floor but converted on just 1-of-8 from distance; 5-of-9 free throws fell for the Wildcats.
Coming back from the break, Baker shot out of a cannon and quickly got ahead 52-41, going on a 14-0 run in the first five minutes of the half. McPherson finally got on the board in the second period but could not cut in to the Wildcat lead, staying a handful of points behind. BU led by as many as 12 and didn't let Mac get closer than six until the final three minutes which is where things got interesting. The Wildcats held a slight lead all the way down until the final 60 seconds, that's when MC leap-frogged Baker on a
Joey Powers free throw with 3.4 ticks to go, allowing them to claim the 80-79 victory after a last-second three-point attempt missed.
The Bulldogs made 14 buckets for the second-straight half but saw only 2-of-9 from downtown counted; they did convert on 9-of-11 free throws however. BU went 13-of-29 including 2-of-6 from beyond the arc along with 13-of-15 from the stripe for their 41 second period points.
Mac shot in 50.9 percent of their field goals for the game, nailing 28-of-55 with 8-of-19 three balls; 16-of-22 foul shots went down as well for a 72.7 percentage. 40 rebounds were netted by McPherson, as were 16 assists and 16 turnovers. The starters scored 70 of the team's 80 points.
Samson Shivers led both teams in scoring with 23 as he went 5-of-13 from the field with 4-of-11 coming from deep; he made a near perfect 9-of-10 from the stripe.
Powers (Welch, Okla.) had an outstanding night, totaling 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting with a pair of three balls and free throws.
Devirous Johnson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) logged another double-double with his 15 points and 10 rebounds; he now has four this season.
Following their Thanksgiving break, McPherson will be back in action at the Saint Gregory's University Classic on November 29
th. Mac will play the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma on Friday at 6:00 p.m. (CT) and then the host school at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.
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