Men's Basketball | 12/13/2013 12:22:00 AM
Box Score
McPherson, Kan. – In each team's season, there are games where things just don't go right and that was Thursday night for the Bulldogs as they lost an 81-77 overtime game with Sterling College at home. Mac now falls to 7-6 on the year and 1-2 in the conference.
The game started well enough for MC as they quickly mounted a double figure lead but seven minutes with just a pair of baskets allowed the poor-shooting Warriors to climb back. The 'Dogs kept a slight advantage for the next few but SC jumped on top with 2:17 showing on the clock. A 4-1 run by Sterling gave them a 31-27 halftime lead.
Neither team fared well in the first period as McPherson converted on 35.8 percent from the field while SC made 32.4%. The Bulldogs were 11-of-31 with a pair of threes and a dreadful 3-of-9 showing from the stripe. Sterling counted 11-of-34 baskets with five from long range and an equally bad 4-of-11 from the foul line.
In the second half, shooting did not improve as the Warriors maintained their slight advantage; McPherson tied the ball once in the first half of the period but stayed down most of the way. With time winding down, Mac attempted one last push and scored 11-straight to pull ahead 62-57 with just 12 seconds left. Things were looking pretty good for MC until the Warriors hit a three-ball with 7.9 ticks to play and a 1-of-2 showing at the stripe by Samson Shivers (he had made his previous six before the miss) gave SC one last chance. Sterling nailed one from behind the arc to push things into overtime.
In OT, the Bulldogs were outscored 9-5 in the first two minutes and never recovered from the four-point deficit. Six of the last eight free throws fell for SC as they snuck out of McPherson with an 81-77 win.
The 'Dogs converted 16-of-41 from the floor in the game's last 25 minutes and went 3-of-14 from downtown; they made 15-of-21 from the charity stripe. The Warriors only made 9-of-33 field goals in the second period but a perfect 4-of-4 in overtime; they hit three from deep in both OT and the second half and also tallied 18-of-25 from the free throw line.
At the end of the day, McPherson was 27-of-72 with just 5-of-24 from distance and 18-of-30 from the foul line. They pulled down 53 rebounds, one less than Sterling, and claimed 15 offensive boards. 18 assists and 16 turnovers were tabbed by Mac as were five blocks and nine steals. 43 points in the paint were recorded in the loss.
Shivers (Houston, Texas) bucketed 21 points on a 6-of-13 night, 3-of-7 from behind the arc; he also made 6-of-7 free throws.
TJ Grant (South Bend, Ind.) entered the game from the bench and scored 18 with the bulk coming in the winding minutes of the game; he connected on just 4-of-14 from the floor but was 9-of-10 from the stripe.
Devirous Johnson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) started hot for Mac, scoring 10 of the first 15 Bulldog points but cooled off after that, closing out the game with 12 points along with a team-high 12 rebounds.
Joey Powers (Welch, Okla.) was the final 'Dog in double figures with his 11 points; he also netted 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the year.
A short memory is needed for McPherson as they host 7-2 (3-0) Friends University on Saturday, December 14 at 7:00 p.m. (CT); the Falcons are coming off an 87-80 victory over Saint Mary. Saturday's game is Community Appreciation Night for McPherson; admission is free to all four games which start at 1:00
Make sure to follow Bulldog Nation on
Facebook (MCathletics) and
Twitter (@MAC_Bulldogs)
