Men's Basketball | 2/17/2013 12:20:00 AM
Box Score
McPherson, Kan. – On Senior Night at the Sport Center, the Bulldogs fought back in the final minutes of the second half to force overtime and then took it to Bethel, completely dismantling the Threshers and winning 83-78; the victory was the senior’s final home game as they are the No. 8 seed in the upcoming postseason tournament and will be on the road from here on out.
The Threshers came out and controlled the first half of the opening period, leading by just a couple but staying ahead of MC. Momentum began to change near the 13-minute mark as the ‘Dogs strung together a few buckets to jump out in front. McPherson stayed on top for the rest of the half, leading by as many as seven and took a 31-34 lead into the locker room.
As with the score, Mac held a slight advantage in first half field goal percentage, making 37.5% from the floor with two three balls being counted; they hit a perfect 8-of-8 from the stripe. Bethel made the same amount of field goals, 12, but took three more attempts as they heaved the ball at the rim 35 times; BC converted on 1-of-8 three pointers and 6-of-9 free throws. MC’s bench was already making their presence known in the first 20 minutes as they scored over half of the team’s points, ending the period with 19.
In half number two, the Threshers quickly jumped out in front and then the two squads traded buckets back and forth for the next several minutes. Bethel began to pull away around the 15-minute spot, going on a 13-0 run to jump ahead 56-43 with 12:36 on the clock. BC held their double-digit advantage for the next few possessions but then the ‘Dogs started to chip away at their deficit and slowly got closer and closer until they tied the game at 71 with 41 seconds to play; three pointers and the intensity of both the Bulldogs and the McPherson fans helped Mac get back in to the game late. A missed basket by the Threshers gave MC the ball with six seconds to play. An errant pass by the Bulldogs allowed Bethel a chance to win things in regulation but a three-ball went long, forcing overtime.
In OT, it was all McPherson as the ‘Dogs took it to BC, scoring the first 11 points which was their largest lead of the game. Mac’s defense held the Threshers scoreless in overtime for the first four minutes. A few hustle plays brought Bethel close in the final seconds but by then it was too late as the Bulldogs took the 83-78 victory.
Both teams upped their shooting percentage in the second half and overtime but the ‘Dogs, once again, took the crown as they made 48.4 percent of their 31 shots; MC cashed in on 15-of-31 from the floor, 3-of-9 from distance and 14-of-19 from the foul line. The Threshers hit 18-of-42 field goals with 1-of-6 falling from long range; they did a much better job from the stripe in the second part of the game, making 10-of-11.
The Bulldogs closed out Senior Night with a 42.9 shooting percentage, nailing 27-of-63 with five makes from deep; they were able to bucket 24-of-29 free throws in the win. Bethel made 39% of their season-high 77 attempts but only had two three pointers find their way to the bottom of the net; 16-of-20 free throws were tallied by BC. Mac, led by two players with double-digit boards, outrebounded BC 46-42 but gave up 13 offensive rebounds to Bethel. 14 turnovers were committed by the Threshers; McPherson stole eight of those away. The ‘Dogs totaled 16 assists while BC had a difficult time distributing the ball, tallying only three dimes. 46 points were logged by the bench play of MC as a few key players entered the game after the tip due to it being Senior Night.
Adam Bruner (McPherson, Kan.), one of those bench players, led the team with 21 points coming on 5-of-15 from the floor and 11-of-13 from the charity stripe; he also had a team-high seven assists. Senior
Kasey Miller (Derby, Kan.) scored 14, seeing 5-of-8 field goals fall along with both his free throw attempts.
Joey Powers (Welch, Okla.) and
Samson Shivers (Houston, Texas) scored 13 and 12 points respectively.
Jake Reinhardt (Walton, Kan.), in his final game in McPherson, recorded another double-double, scoring 10 points and bringing down 15 rebounds.
Devirous Johnson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) also totaled double figures on the glass, hauling in 12 rebounds; he was one bucket away from his own double-double as he scored eight.
BC’s top two scorers did what they do best, score. Adam Arciniega made 12-of-23 from the floor and 8-of-10 from the stripe for a game-high 32 points; he topped the team with his nine rebounds. Lee Griffin also attempted 23 field goals but was only able to make eight; he added 4-of-5 from the free throw line for his 20 points.
A trip to Leavenworth, Kansas to face the KCAC No. 1 University of Saint Mary is how McPherson’s only chance of making it four-consecutive trips to the NAIA National Tournament begins. As the No. 8 seed, they will play USM on February 20
th at 7:00 p.m. (CT)
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