McPherson, Kan. – Five different Bulldogs scored in the double-digits for McPherson College in their 82-72 victory over Ottawa University on Saturday. Mac is now 6-12 on the year and 2-4 in the conference.
"This was a great win for us," said Coach Swartzendruber. "Ottawa is a good team. I was pleased we were able to bounce back after our tough loss at Sterling. Our defense in the first half was as good as we've played this year. We need to build on that."
After trailing for the first five minutes, the Bulldogs took charge and led for the final 35 minutes of the contest. The Braves kept it tight for most of the opening half but six-straight points by MC put the 'Dogs ahead by double figures for the rest of the night. McPherson took a 42-25 lead into the locker room. Mac bucketed 15-of-29 in the first period and saw 3-of-6 three balls find the bottom of the net. OU went 10-of-28 from the field with 2-of-9 going in from range; the team missed their first five from deep.
McPherson led by double-digits throughout the second half and although they were never really able to put the game away, the Bulldog lead was never challenged. Ottawa got as close as 10 a couple times but Mac answered each time and hit their free throws late to earn the 82-72 triumph. 13-of-31 field goals were counted for MC including 3-of-7 from deep; they made 11-of-14 free throws in the final 20 minutes. The Braves went 13-of-28 from the floor with 3-of-11 threes going in; OU hit their foul shots as 18-of-23 fell.
The 'Dogs ended the game with a 46.7 shooting percentage (28-of-60) and connected on 6-of-13 from behind the arc; from the charity stripe, Mac dropped in 20-of-28. The team tallied 38 rebounds and had 10 on the offensive end of the court. They accrued 16 assists, eight turnovers, four steals and two blocks; the team had just one turnover in the first half. McPherson scored 32 points in the paint, 24 from the bench, and 15 off of turnovers.
Of the five Bulldogs that made it into double figures Darius Hill led the way with his 19; the senior, who also had a team-high nine rebounds, shot in 8-of-17 field goals and 3-of-6 free throws. TJ Grant and Kenny Berry Jr. each tabbed 13 points; Grant was 3-of-9 from the floor and a perfect 6-of-6 from the stripe while Berry Jr. went 5-of-9 from the field and 1-of-2 from the foul line. The two combined for 10 assists with Grant being responsible for six. Chris Crook scored 12 points as he made 4-of-10 field goals and 3-of-4 free throws; he also logged four assists. Latron Jolly added 11 points to the effort from the bench; the sophomore transfer made 4-of-8 from the floor and 3-of-4 from the line. DeAndre Henson was just one-point off of joining the double-digit club with his nine points on 2-of-2 three balls and 3-of-4 free throws.
Southwestern College will make the trek to McPherson for the Bulldogs' next contest; tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m. (CT) on January 15th in the Sport Center.
Make sure to follow Bulldog Nation on Facebook (MCathletics) and Twitter (@MAC_Bulldogs)
McPherson College is a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference member school and a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
