Men's Basketball | 1/22/2014 11:58:00 PM
Box Score
McPherson, Kan. –
Samson Shivers led the game with 23 points and
Brian (BJ) Johnson put in 22 to help push the McPherson men's basketball squad over the Moundbuilders of Southwestern College 80-75. The 'Dogs got a much needed triumph, pushing them to 10-11 on the year and 3-6 when facing conference opponents.
It was a close contest in the early goings on Wednesday but the Builders broke out into a nine-point lead right before the midway point of the first half. Mac responded and just four minutes later overtook Southwestern and began building their lead which reached eight. The 'Dogs took a 35-29 advantage into the locker room.
MC connected on 13-of-30 in the opening half but was just 1-of-4 from behind the arc; they also struggled from the free throw line, making 8-of-15. The Builders started hot but then quickly cooled, counting 11-of-26 field goals with a poor showing from deep, hitting 2-of-16; the squad made five of their six free throws. The Johnson's, Brian and Devirous, each tabbed 10 points in the first 20 minutes to lead all scorers.
In the second, the Bulldogs seemed to go into coast mode, staying ahead by a small handful but never pushing their lead into double digits; the peak was eight which came with 11:21 on the clock. A 9-0 run by SWC gave them a one-point lead, the first since the halfway mark of the first period. The two teams traded leads for the next several minutes with neither being out of striking distance of the other; the last tie of the game came with 5:26 to play. Despite holding the lead for the final five minutes, the 'Dogs had to fight until the last possession, holding off the Moundbuilders for a 80-75 victory.
It was another half of good shooting for McPherson as they converted on 12-of-27 from the floor; they made just 1-of-3 from the arc but hit an impressive 20-of-23 from the charity stripe in the game's final 20 minutes. SWC was 14-of-35 and continued to have a rough going from distance, making 1-of-7; they too had a solid showing from the line, connecting on 17-of-21.
The 'Dogs went 25-of-57 for a 43.9 field goal percentage; they shot just seven three balls and made two, both by Shivers. Well above their average, MC drained 73.7 percent, 28-of-38 from the foul line. 39 rebounds were tallied by the Bulldogs with 12 coming off the offensive glass. They had just 12 assists but also kept their turnovers low, netting nine; five blocks and three steals were logged by Mac in their win. An unheard of 73.8% of McPherson's points, 59, were recorded in the paint.
Shivers (Houston, Texas) made the majority of his 23 point total from the charity stripe, connecting on a perfect 15-of-15; he was 3-of-10 from the field and also recorded a pair of rebounds and assists. B. Johnson (Kansas City, Kan.) was 8-of-17 from the floor and 6-of-13 from the free throw line; he also tabbed a team-high five assists in his 35 minutes of work. Joey Powers (Welch, Okla.) scored 14 for the 'Dogs, hitting on 7-of-9 from the floor; he also had two blocks. D. Johnson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) got his 14 double-double of the year with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
MC heads off to North Newton, Kansas for their next contest as they square off with Bethel College on January 25th; the junior varsity is set to get underway at 3:00 p.m. (CT) with varsity to play at 7:00
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