Men's Basketball | 1/18/2014 11:20:00 PM
Box Score
Lindsborg, Kan. – One half of brilliant and near flawless basketball by McPherson College was backed up by another, just not for the Bulldogs as Bethany took over and thumped the 'Dogs 89-68. Mac drops to 9-11 on the year and are 2-6 against the KCAC.
MC had an excellent first half on Saturday as the defense was working and role players were scoring on the offensive end; the 'Dogs led by as many as 10, showing up the Swedes on their home court. Bethany would go on a couple runs of their own but they were not enough to overtake Mac as the Bulldogs took a 42-34 halftime lead into the locker room.
McPherson shot an even 50 percent from the field in the opening period, bucketing 17-of-34 including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc, all of which were knocked down by
Erik DeRoo; MC converted on 4-of-5 from the foul line. Bethany may have started slow but picked it up, making 14-of-29 for the first half; they were 2-of-9 from deep and 4-of-6 from the free throw line. DeRoo led all scorers with his 12 points, going a perfect 4-of-4 from distance;
Joey Powers also tabbed 12 first half points, getting a lot of "garbage points" around the rim.
There must have been something in the water in MC's locker room as the Bulldogs came out as flat as can be, allowing Bethany to not only come back but take the lead shortly into the second period. From there, the adrenaline received from their home crowd boosted the Swedes to a double-digit advantage before the midway point. BC got up 20+ which is where their lead hovered for most of the final minutes. The clock hit zeros with Bethany getting the 21-point victory.
The 'Dogs counted just seven field goals in the second half, making 38.9 percent of their attempts, 7-of-18; they went ohfer from deep, 0-of-6, and only scored 12-of-20 from the stripe. BC upped their shooting percentage, nailing 18-of-36 with 7-of-13 three balls dropping; the squad was near perfect from the free throw line, making 12-of-13.
Mac finished the game shooting 46.2 percent, 24-of-52, and connected on 4-of-14 from downtown; they logged a 16-of-25 night from the foul stripe. All of Bethany's makes took away from the Bulldogs' rebounding opportunities, as such, MC only hauled in 18 rebounds, grabbing only one on the offensive side of the court. 13 turnovers, 11 assists, six steals and three blocks were totaled by McPherson.
Devirous Johnson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) tallied 19 points in the loss, making 6-of-8 from the field and 7-of-10 from the stripe; he grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, five off his season average.
Powers (Welch, Okla.) made just one field goal in the second half, scoring 14 on the night.
DeRoo (Tyler, Texas) didn't attempt a shot in the second 20 minutes, ending the game with 12 points.
Brian (BJ) Johnson (Kansas City, Kan.) scored nine and had a team-high five assists.
A special Wednesday night game is next up for Mac as they host Southwestern College on January 22
nd; tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. (CT)
Make sure to follow Bulldog Nation on
Facebook (MCathletics) and
Twitter (@MAC_Bulldogs)
