North Newton, Kan. – A hot shooting Bethel College team came to play in their home gym on Saturday night as they took down McPherson College 78-70. The 'Dogs are now 4-7 this season and sit 1-1 in the KCAC.
After an early Bethel lead, MC climbed back to tie it up five minutes into the opening period. An 11-0 run by the Threshers gave BC a double-digit lead by the midway point of the half. Mac again pushed back, getting within a couple buckets but Bethel maintained their 10+ advantage for most of the final 10 minutes and took a 41-32 lead into the locker room. The Bulldogs connected on 13-of-31 in the first 20 minutes with just 3-of-11 falling from range whereas Bethel drained over 50% of their 33 field goals including 2-of-5 from deep.
McPherson started the second half strong and got it to six but the Threshers again rallied and moved their lead back to double figures. After the score margin peaked at 14, MC surged and pulled within six with under five minutes to play. Bethel stayed ahead just enough to hang on for the 78-70 win. Mac went 14-of-34 from the floor and 4-of-12 from behind the arc but shot in just 6-of-10 from the foul line. BC continued their sharp shooting as 14-of-25 fell through including three of six threes.
At the end of the night, McPherson scored on 41.5% of their 65 field goals and were 7-of-23 from distance; the team converted 9-of-15 free throws. It was a low rebounding night for Mac, 23 boards, as the Threshers did such a solid job of hitting their shots. MC tallied 14 turnovers, 10 assists, six steals, and a pair of blocks.
Four Bulldogs made it into double-digits scoring with Darius Hill leading the way with his 15; the senior was 6-of-12 from the field and made 3-of-5 free throws. Chris Crook added in 13 points as he hit 4-of-12 field goals and 3-of-4 from the stripe. A late bucket by TJ Grant put him into double figures; he ended the game with 11 points and a team-high five assists. DeAndre Henson scored 10 on 3-of-7 shooting from distance and 1-of-2 from the foul line.
McPherson's next game will be their first home game of the KCAC season; they host Kansas Wesleyan University on December 11th at 8:00 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
