Men's Basketball | 2/14/2014 12:08:00 AM
Box Score
Salina, Kan. – It was close throughout between the Bulldogs of McPherson College and the Coyotes of Kansas Wesleyan University on Thursday. The game was so intense that overtime was needed to decide a champion and after 45 minutes of play, the 'Dogs came out victorious 102-95.
"I was really pleased with our grit in overtime," said Coach Swartzendruber. "We had our chances in regulation but couldn't finish but we kept our heads and showed a lot of heart. I'm really proud of the team."
In what's becoming an unfortunate trend, Mac got out to another slow start, trailing by as many as nine points within the first few minutes; the Bulldogs went on a 13-4 run to take their first lead of the night on the heels of four-straight three balls at the 11:07 mark. McPherson led the rest of the way; their advantage didn't reach the double-digit mark but got close at nine points. KWU closed out the period on a mini-run, scoring the final six points and heading into their locker room trailing 41-40.
The 'Dogs went 14-of-27 from the floor including a solid 5-of-10 from distance; they drained eight of their 11 free throws. Kansas Wesleyan made 14 field goals as well but only attempted 24; they counted 8-of-9 from the foul stripe. D'Onte Woods entered from the bench and led Mac in scoring with his 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field and a perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe.
The 'Dogs stayed out in front for a lot of the second half but it stayed close; five points was the furthest the two teams were apart in period number two. After 20 more minutes of play, the score was tied at 80 apiece; KWU scored the final four points to force overtime. In OT, Samson Shivers took over, scoring nine points, making 3-of-3 from range, and forcing Kansas Wesleyan to foul down the stretch. MC guard TJ Grant put the final dagger in the hearts of the Coyotes as he dropped in the last seven points for Mac giving the Bulldogs the 102-95 victory.
In the second period and overtime, McPherson shot in 15-of-32 with six of their 15 three-point buckets falling through; 3-of-6 free throws went in during the last 25 minutes. Kansas Wesleyan scored on 12-of-25 with just 3-of-11 going in from range; the team hit on 13-of-15 from the stripe.
MC closed out the game seeing 35-of-65 field goals drop including a season-high 15 three balls on 29 attempts; they made 17-of-23 from the foul line. The team tabulated 38 rebounds with 16 coming off the offensive glass. Mac also netted 21 assists, 19 turnovers, nine steals and a pair of blocks. 41 of the team's total points came from bench players and for the first time this season, they scored more points off of three pointers than they did in the paint.
Shivers (Houston, Texas) led the game in scoring with his 26 points, coming on 8-of-15 from the field with all eight entering the hoop from behind the arc; he also made both his free throws. Shivers is now just two points away from the McPherson College record for most points scored in a career which sits at 2000. Woods (Houston, Texas) scored on 6-of-9 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the stripe for career-high 18 points; he also grabbed seven rebounds and had three steals. Devirous Johnson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) put in 14 points on 7-of-12 shooting; he also grabbed a team leading nine rebounds and logged three assists. Both Erik DeRoo (Tyler, Texas) and Grant (South Bend, Ind.) scored 11 points; DeRoo hit 3-of-6 from three-point land and 1-of-1 from inside the arc while Grant had most of his points come from the stripe, going 6-of-6.
McPherson will host the Braves of Ottawa University on Saturday; junior varsity starts at 3:00 p.m. (CT) with the varsity squad getting underway at 7:00
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