Salina, Kan. – The MC men's basketball team stayed resilient down the stretch and held off the Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes for their second-straight win, 65-61. The Bulldogs, who have lost their fair share of close contests this season, are now 8-16 on the year and 4-8 in the KCAC following their four-point victory.
"It was nice to win a close game," said Coach Swartzendruber. "We had some big stops defensively and we hit some pressure free throws. This group continues to improve."
Mac jumped in front on their second possession and held a slim lead for most of the opening period; the Coyotes always stayed around, never letting McPherson get too far out in front. In the final few minutes, it was KWU that was on top by a small margin and they took a 31-27 lead into halftime. The 'Dogs put in 10-of-27 from the floor with 3-of-11 coming from long range; they went a perfect 4-of-4 from the stripe in the first half. Kansas Wesleyan bucketed 12-of-26 field goals and saw 3-of-10 threes drop; they too made four free throws but attempted five.
The Coyotes maintained their small lead for the first five minutes coming out of the locker room but from the 15-minute mark on, the teams were nearly inseparable. There were multiple ties and lead changes but a 7-0 run by KWU put them ahead by the largest margin of the half with just under 10 to play. The Bulldogs countered with a 9-0 run of their own and jumped in front by a couple with 6:30 showing on the clock. Mac trailed just once more the rest of the way and staved off one final Coyote attack claiming the 65-61 win. MC connected on 12-of-29 from the field with three coming from distance; they struggled from the foul line, 11-of-19, but made them when they needed to. Kansas Wesleyan counted just two two-point field goals with their other six makes coming from behind the arc, they were 8-of-23 from the floor; they too had a tough half from the stripe, hitting on just 8-of-15.
The 'Dogs ended the game with a 39.3 shooting percentage, 22-of-56; they went 6-of-22 from deep and 15-of-23 from the charity stripe. The team recorded 34 rebounds with eight offensive boards. They also tabbed nine assists, seven turnovers, three steals, and a pair of blocks. Mac scored 24 points in the paint and 17 came off of KWU turnovers.
TJ Grant led all scoring with his 23 points; he was 6-of-12 from the field and a solid 8-of-9 from the foul line. Next was fellow senior Darius Hill; the forward scored 18 on 7-of-13 field goals as well as 4-of-6 free throws while grabbing a team-high 11 rebounds. DeAndre Henson scored eight for Mac and also pulled in six boards.
McPherson will head out to KCAC preseason favorite Tabor College on February 5th for their next contest; the JV will play at 4:00 p.m. (CT) with the varsity getting underway at 8:00.
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McPherson College is a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference member school and a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
