Men's Basketball | 1/29/2014 11:30:00 PM
Box Score
McPherson, Kan. – It was a hard-fought triumph for Bulldog basketball on Wednesday as they knocked down the defending KCAC Champion Spires of the University of Saint Mary 73-65. Mac moves to 12-11 for the season and are 5-6 when playing league institutions.
"I'm really proud of our team and how we finished," said McPherson head coach Tim Swartzendruber. "Saint Mary played the box and one and we responded well. I thought overall we defended about as well as we could versus a very talented team. This should give us more confidence heading to Sterling on Saturday."
It was a very tight contest from the beginning and throughout the entire first half as they two clubs were never out of range of the other; the largest lead was five points, coming at the halfway point of the period. McPherson seemed to be in control of the start and finish of the half while the Spires dictated the pace in the middle portion of the first 20 minutes, giving a 29-29 tie at the break.
Neither team shot the ball entirely well as Mac counted 12-of-32 from the floor but when 0-of-8 from beyond the arc; they drained 5-of-6 from the foul line. USM scored on 10-of-29 and saw just one of their eight three balls drop in; they made 8-of-10 from the charity stripe in the opening period.
The second half started with McPherson pushing the ball and tempo, allowing them to mount a double-digit lead in just over five minutes. The Bulldog advantage increased to 14 halfway through the period but an 8-0 run by Saint Mary pulled them back within a few baskets just a couple minutes later. MC would stay on top for the rest of the way, maintaining a slight edge thanks to making seven of their final eight free throw attempts. The 'Dogs claimed a 73-65 victory as the final buzzer sounded.
McPherson put 15-of-37 field goals through the net with 2-of-4 from long range; they netted 12-of-18 from the free throw line. Saint Mary converted 13-of-35 from the floor but just 3-of-10 from the three-point line; they tabbed 7-of-10 from the stripe in the game's final half.
The Bulldogs shot in 39.1 percent of their attempts, 27-of-69 from the floor for the game and continued to struggle from distance as a mere 2-of-12 fell in. They grabbed 43 rebounds, two less than USM, but hauled in 15 off the offensive glass, 12 coming in the second half. They had 16 assists, nine turnovers, three steals and a block in their win. 37 of Mac's points were scored in the paint while 16 were second-chance buckets.
Senior Joey Powers (Welch, Okla.) led MC in scoring with his 20 points on 10-of-17 shooting; he recorded six rebounds and the team's lone block. Brian (BJ) Johnson (Kansas City, Kan.) went 4-of-9 from the floor and 6-of-9 from the stripe for his 14 points; he had five rebounds and a team-high five assists. Next to hit double-digits scoring was Samson Shivers (Houston, Texas) as he bucketed 3-of-7 from the floor and 6-of-8 from the foul line for 13 points; he was rebound away from a double-double, ending the game with nine. The double-double king, Devirous Johnson (Brooklyn, N.Y.), barely recorded his 17th of the year as he made two free throws in the final minutes to give him 10 points on the night; he was 4-of-14 from the floor and hit his two lone foul shots while pulling in 12 boards, four on the offensive side of the court.
The 'Dogs travel to Sterling, Kansas on the first day of February as they play the SC Warriors; junior varsity is scheduled to start at 3:00 p.m. with the varsity to get going at 7:00
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