Men's Basketball | 2/22/2013 11:11:00 PM
Box Score
Leavenworth, Kan. – In round one of the KCAC Postseason Tournament, an exhilarating overtime contest by McPherson College and the University of Saint Mary ended in a Bulldog 91-82 victory.
The Spires came out strong on their home court, getting up to a 15-4 advantage. McPherson had a difficulty putting the ball through the hoop in the early goings, letting USM increase their lead to 15. The Bulldogs climbed back in and pulled the score margin to six with nine minute left in the half; a couple buckets later and Saint Mary was back up by double-digits. The squads traded points for the next several minutes then a 10-2 run by Mac gave the ‘Dogs their first lead of the contest with 40 seconds remaining. USM scored the final field goal of the half, giving them a 41-40 lead heading in to the locker room.
Both squads shot exceptionally well in the opening period; Mac heated up late in the half and ended with a 57.7% field goal percentage. The ‘Dogs hit 15-of-26 from the floor with 3-of-6 from deep and were 7-of-9 from the charity stripe. USM cashed in on 16-of-30 from the field and were 3-of-9 from downtown; they made 6-of-9 from the foul line. McPherson’s
Samson Shivers (Houston, Texas) bucketed 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting with two three balls.
It took the teams a couple minutes to score in the second half but once they did, the trading of points began, neither team getting ahead by more than six in the first 10 minutes. Saint Mary was out in control for the first seven minutes but then MC’s
Kasey Miller (Derby, Kan.) went off from deep and helped the Bulldogs take the lead. Mac got up by as many as seven within the next few but a push by the Spires tightened the score. A back-and-forth battle by the two squads made the final three minutes very intense. USM got ahead by three with 28 seconds left but another three-ball by Miller tied things up with 17 ticks to go. The Spires had one final chance but two attempts went long, forcing overtime.
In OT, Saint Mary scored the first point but then a 7-0 run by the Bulldogs put MC on top 83-77 with 40 seconds remaining. Two points by USM brought their deficit to four points but eight-straight free throws helped McPherson hold off the Spires, giving Mac the incredible victory 91-82.
In the second half and overtime, the ‘Dogs cooled off a bit, shooting 40%; they made 14-of-35 from the floor with 6-of-12 three-point field goals counting. An impressive job from the stripe highlighted MC’s second part of the game; they hit 17-of-20. Saint Mary converted on 37.5 percent of their 40 attempts including going 4-of-11 from behind the arc; 7-of-8 shots from the free throw line found their way through the net for the Spires.
Mac closed out the win with a 47.5% field goal percentage, nailing 29-of-61 with 13-of-27 three point buckets going through; they made 82.8 percent of their 29 free throws taken. USM went 31-of-70 from the floor, 7-of-20 from downtown and 13-of-17 from the charity stripe. The Bulldogs pulled down 41 rebounds with 14 coming on the offensive end; the Spires hauled in 35. Each squad tallied 13 turnovers and seven steals; MC recorded 15 assists to Saint Mary’s 11. 32 points were scored by McPherson’s bench players.
One of those bench players was senior Miller who ended the game with a career-high 21 points coming on 6-of-9 from the floor, 5-of-7 from long range, and a perfect 4-of-4 from the foul line. Shivers was close on his heels as he bucketed 20 points, draining 6-of-15 from the field with three makes from distance; he was also perfect from the stripe, making all five attempts.
Devirous Johnson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) recorded 16 points as well as the game’s only double-double as he racked up 12 rebounds.
Adam Bruner (McPherson, Kan.) also made it into double figures scoring with his 13, coming on 4-of-13 from the field and 5-of-7 from the free throw line; he also had a team-high seven assists.
Kevin Harvey led the Spires in total points with 18; he made 6-of-15 field goals with three from downtown and 3-of-4 free throws going in. KCAC Player of the Year Jordan Wilcox scored 17 points in his team’s loss; he went 5-of-17 floor and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.
The Bulldogs will now face Friends University tomorrow, February 23
rd for round two of the KCAC Postseason Tournament; tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. (CT) in Wichita, Kansas. The victor will play the winner of the No. 7 Ottawa University at No. 3 Sterling College contest.
Make sure to follow Bulldog Nation on
Facebook (MCathletics) and
Twitter (@MAC_Bulldogs)
