Lawrence, Kan. – It was a high-scoring affair between McPherson College and Haskell Indian Nations University on Saturday as both teams started their 2014-15 season. After trailing 45-41 at half, MC upped their game in the second and came away with the 94-81 victory.
Haskell led by as many as nine in the first few minutes, using the home-court advantage to stay ahead of the 'Dogs in the early goings. McPherson trailed for all but a couple minutes in the first half as they had trouble putting scores and stops together. The Indians went into halftime holding a four-point lead.
Coach Swartzendruber got his players in line during the break and the Bulldogs pushed forward in the opening minutes of the second half and took the lead by the 18-minute mark. McPherson stayed ahead by a handful but could never push their lead to double figures as HINU stayed right on their heels. With just over seven minutes to play, Mac's TJ Grant went on a scoring run as he totaled eight points in just a few possessions to get MC over the 10-point hump. From there, the Indians were left in the dust as McPherson was able to stay up by 10+ for the final five minutes.
After making 14-of-33 (42.42%) from the floor in the opening half, McPherson shot in 50% (18-of-36) in the second for a 46.4 field goal percentage for the game. The 'Dogs grabbed 38 boards, four more than Haskell, and had an even 19-19 split for offensive/defensive rebounds. A mere six turnovers were committed by MC but the team also stole just six from HINU; the team tallied 15 assists. 48 of McPherson's total came in the paint, 22 were second-chance points and 19 came from the foul line; the team was 19-of-27 from the stripe.
Grant, on his birthday of all days, scored a game-high 28 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including going an incredible 5-of-7 from downtown; the senior picked up some points late from the foul line where he was 9-of-10 on the night. Despite getting into foul trouble early, DeAndre Henson ended the night with 15 points as he knocked down 6-of-13 field goals and 1-of-2 free throws. Darius Hill is certainly glad to be back in action as the senior recorded the team's first double-double of the year; he ended the game with 14 points and 16 rebounds, six of which were on the offensive end. Two newcomers to the squad, Ramon Martinez and Page Beeler, each hit double figures scoring with 12 and 10, respectively; Beeler was second on the team in rebounds with eight. Kenny Berry Jr. led the team in assists with his seven dimes.
McPherson travels to Manhattan on Tuesday, November 4 as they take on the Manhattan Christian College Crusaders at 7:00 p.m. (CT)
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McPherson College is a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference member school and a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
