Men's Basketball | 2/7/2013 10:53:00 PM
Box Score
Wichita, Kan. – 39 minutes of tough playing by MC was all for not as a bucket by Friends University with under 30 seconds remaining in the game sealed the deal for the Falcons as they took down McPherson College 56-55 on Thursday. The Bulldogs are now 10-16 for the season and 4-11 in the KCAC, tying them for seventh place.
The Bulldogs jumped out in front early and maintained their narrow lead for the majority of the half with their largest lead of seven points coming just seconds before the halftime buzzer. Mac spent most of the half in the driver seat, controlling the pace and tempo. The defense of McPherson forced difficult shots from the Falcons which helped the ‘Dogs to stay out in front.
A 10-of-28 first half was recorded by McPherson as they made 35.7% of their field goals; they nailed 3-of-8 from downtown and 4-of-6 from the stripe. Friends hit on 9-of-30 from the floor with 2-of-16 three pointers falling through; they scored just 50% of their six free throws. Each team totaled five turnovers, two blocks and two steals in the game’s first 20 minutes.
Samson Shivers (Houston, Texas) hit on 3-of-6 from the floor and 2-of-2 from the foul line to lead the half with nine points. A box-and-one on Friends’ top performer, Joe Mitchell, contained the Falcon as he scored just five points on 1-of-5 from the floor and 2-of-3 from the foul line.
The Falcons came out in the second period hitting their shots and jumped in front in just a few minutes; McPherson pounced right back and got on top again. The two teams would go back and forth for the next several minutes, each vying for any kind of leverage. Down the stretch, the Bulldogs maintained a slight advantage and were up by three points with two minutes to play. After a series of miscues by Mac, Friends got within one-point with 33 seconds left on the clock. Another mental mistake by MC gave the Falcons the ball and Mitchell took full advantage, scoring on a post move with just 17 ticks left. One final chance by the ‘Dogs was off target giving Friends the 56-55 win.
McPherson’s field goal percentage slightly dropped in the second period as they cashed in on 8-of-23; they were 1-of-6 from deep and 11-of-13 from the charity stripe. Friends hit 11-of-26 from the floor including 3-of-10 from long range; they made 8-of-10 from the foul line. Both squads turned the ball over seven times in the game’s final 20 minutes.
Mac finished the contest 18-of-51 from the field, 4-of-14 from deep and 15-of-21 from the free throw line. The Falcons tallied 20-of-56 from the field with five three balls falling through; they were 11-of-16 from the stripe. Mac pulled down one more rebound than Friends as they snatched 38 with 11 coming on the offensive end. Both teams logged 12 turnovers in the contest.
Shivers finished the competition 4-of-14 with two three pointers making their way through the net; he was 6-of-8 from the stripe.
Jake Reinhardt (Walton, Kan.) scored 10 points and brought down 11 rebounds for his double-double; he was 4-of-6 from the field and 2-of-3 from the foul line.
Joey Powers (Welch, Okla.) entered the game from the bench and scored eight points on 4-of-7 shooting.
Zach Nelson was Friends’ top scorer with 16 points, coming on 7-of-14 from the floor and 1-of-2 from the stripe. Anthony White was the only other Falcon player with double figures scoring as he made 4-of-8 from the floor and 3-of-5 from the free throw line for 11 points; he also brought in 11 rebounds for the team’s only double-double. Mitchell ended the contest with eight points as the Bulldog defense shut him down.
A crucial contest against the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes awaits McPherson; the ‘Dogs host KWU on February 9
th with start time set for 7:00 p.m. (CT). Junior varsity will come prior to the start of varsity action.
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