Denver, Colo. – Following a crushing overtime loss a day ago, MC men's basketball bounced back and took out their frustration on the host of the classic, Johnson & Wales University, on Saturday. The 'Dogs trounced the Wildcats 87-59 for their third win of the season.
Both teams came out firing and hitting right from the get-go. Mac put together a quick run to get up seven early but J&W wouldn't let the 'Dogs out of their sight, keeping the gap within striking distance. Around the midway point of the half, McPherson again surged forward and got up double-digits; the score margin stayed at 10+ for the rest of the contest. The Bulldogs held a 20-point lead at the break at 48-28.
MC shot nearly 50% in the opening 20 minutes, making 18-of-37 from the field; the team went 5-of-11 from deep and 7-of-8 from the foul line. The Wildcats counted 11-of-29 field goals but were just 1-of-10 from downtown; they also had issues at the stripe, making 5-of-10 tries.
In the second, McPherson stayed up big and held a 20+ advantage for most of the period; any attempt by Johnson & Wales to get back in the game was answered by the Bulldogs. MC went on to win 87-59.
The 'Dogs kept hitting shots in the second half as they watched 16-of-34 go through the hoop; Mac shot seven threes and seven free throws making two and five, respectively. J&W only made nine shots in the final 20 minutes as 9-of-20 field goals were counted; they did much better at the foul line, knocking down 11-of-15.
For the night, McPherson went 34-of-71 (47.9%) from the floor and were 7-of-18 (38.9%) from long range; 80% of their 15 free throws fell in. The Bulldogs outrebounded Johnson & Wales 45-29 and gobbled up 16 offensive boards; the team also tabulated 12 assists, 12 turnovers, three blocks, and two steals. 41 of the team's total points were scored by the bench, 17 came on second chance points, and 15 were off of turnovers.
Three 'Dogs made it into double-digits with Darius Hill scoring a team-high 15 points on 6-of-11 from the floor and 3-of-3 from the foul line; he had six rebounds. Both DeAndre Henson and TJ Grant scored 13 points; Henson made 4-of-10 field goals with two coming from deep and was a perfect 3-of-3 from the stripe. Grant recorded six rebounds and a team-high three assists. Louis Parker III logged a team leading eight rebounds, grabbing four on each side of the court; the freshman was 2-of-7 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free throw line for his six points.
McPherson takes on cross-town rival Central Christian College for their next competition; the November 12th contest is set to start at 8:00 p.m. (CT) on the south side of McPherson.
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McPherson College is a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference member school and a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
