Men's Basketball | 2/15/2014 11:33:00 PM
Box Score
McPherson, Kan. – Prior to Saturday's contest,
Samson Shivers was honored by being awarded the Pat Noyes Scholarship and during the game he broke the McPherson College record for most points scored in a career; the four-year player now has 2016 points through his 133 collegiate competitions. Unfortunately for Shivers' Bulldogs, Mac couldn't complete their late comeback, losing another close contest at 91-88 to Ottawa University
"I have to give Ottawa credit," said head McPherson coach Tim Swartzendruber. "They played tremendous offensively. We just couldn't stop them most of the night but I'm proud of how we fought back and made it a game. Once again, we just didn't make the plays down the stretch."
There were four lead changes and three ties in the first five minutes of the game with the final coming with 15:15 showing on the clock at 11 apiece; from there, Ottawa went on a 6-0 run and never gave up the lead for the remainder of the night. The Braves led by as many as nine in the opening half with the peak being nine; they were up 45-39 heading into the locker room
MC knocked down 16-of-33 in the first period including 5-of-13 from downtown; they made both their free throw attempts. Ottawa shot very well, cashing in on over 50 percent from the field as they hit 18-of-35 with 5-of-10 falling from distance; the Braves made four of their six foul shots. Mac's Shivers broke the school record at the 12:18 mark in the only way he knows how, hitting a contested three pointer from way downtown.
In the second half, OU increased their advantage to double figures in just a few minutes; the 'Dogs stayed close and kept pushing back but Ottawa continued to answer any McPherson bucket. MC was down 11 with just over three minutes to play but put together eight-straight points to pull within three with 1:12 remaining; a few possessions later and the Bulldogs were just two-points away from the Braves with 17 ticks left on the clock. A pair of missed free throws by Ottawa left the window open for Mac but their three-ball went off the rim and landed out of bounds to the Braves. OU would then make 1-of-2 from the stripe, giving the 'Dogs a sliver of hope. In the final play of the game, McPherson tried one last time at a three pointer but it landed just short, giving Ottawa the 91-88 triumph.
A 13-of-33 half was recorded by MC; they connected on 4-of-11 from the arc and only 19-of-29 from the foul line. The Braves somehow topped their first period shooting percentage as they drained 17-of-26, 64.5%, from the floor with 3-of-7 dropping in from range; OU made just 9-of-16 from the stripe.
The Bulldogs scored on 29-of-66 for a 43.9 field goal percentage for the contest; the team bucketed 9-of-24 from deep and 21-of-31 from the charity stripe. Mac out-boarded Ottawa 40-32 and grabbed 15 offensive rebounds. The team tabbed 15 assists, 10 turnovers, three steals and a block in their loss. 40 of the team's points came in the paint, 21 were second-chance baskets, and 29 were scored from non-starters.
Shivers (Houston, Texas) netted 18 on the night, making 5-of-7 from the floor and 7-of-9 from the free throw line; he also logged the team's three steals. TJ Grant (South Bend, Ind.) cashed in on 5-of-12 with four being from long range and 1-of-3 from the stripe for his 15 points; the junior point guard was responsible for three assists. Brian (BJ) Johnson (Kansas City, Kan.) tallied 14 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field and 6-of-12 from the foul line; he too had three assists. Devirous Johnson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and D'Onte Woods (Houston, Texas) each totaled 10 points; D. Johnson also had 13 rebounds, adding to his double-double collection which now sits at 20.
McPherson has one more home game for the year as they host Bethany College on February 20th for Senior Night; Thursday's game day begins with men's junior varsity at 4:00 p.m. (CT) with the varsity playing at 8:00
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