McPherson, Kan. – Bulldog basketball dropped their third-straight game on Saturday as they lost to Haskell Indian Nations University 77-67 in the McPherson College Classic finale.
McPherson got up quick and stayed in front for the first 10 minutes against the Indians. HINU pulled even with 10:30 on the clock and then it was the Indians that held the small advantage. Mac went from being down six to down one in the final few minutes and headed into the break trailing 33-32. The 'Dogs were 14-of-39 in the first half and saw just 1-of-9 three balls and 3-of-7 free throws drop. Haskell hit on 13-of-28 including four from deep.
TJ Grant gave MC the lead on the opening play of the second as he stole the inbounds pass and then hit a pair of free throws after being fouled. The two squads traded the lead for the next several minutes. Mac jumped up seven by the 12-minute mark but a 10-0 run by HINU put the Indians up three with less than 10 to play. The Bulldogs could not regain the lead as their shots quit falling. Haskell made just enough of their field goals to hold on for the 10-point win. The 'Dogs saw 12-of-35 shot attempts drop with just 3-of-14 coming from distance. The Indians converted on 13-of-24 from the floor and made 15-of-18 foul shots.
A 35.1 field goal percentage was recorded by McPherson as 26 of their 74 shots found the bottom of the net; they connected on 4-of-23 from beyond the arc and 11-of-18 from the stripe. The team tabbed 43 rebounds and pulled in more offensive boards, 23, than defensive, 20. MC turned the ball over 15 times while netting 13 assists and 11 steals. Mac's bench scored 35 points and 46 of the team's total came from inside the paint.
Darius Hill entered Saturday's game from the bench and scored a team-high 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting with a pair of free throws. Chris Crook, another reserve player, also hit double figures with his 13; he scored on 4-of-7 field goals and 3-of-4 foul shots. Grant ended the night with 11 points, five rebounds, and a team-high three assists. Page Beeler recorded the game's only double-double with his 10 and 10.
It's the Hastings College Thanksgiving Classic next for Mac. The 'Dogs will play Hastings College on November 28th at 7:00 and Doane College on the 29th at 2:00 p.m. (CT); both games will be played in Hastings, Nebraska.
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McPherson College is a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference member school and a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
