Winfield, Kan. – It was a high-scoring affair between McPherson College and Southwestern College on Thursday night in Stewart Fieldhouse. After the 40-minute fast-paced contest, the Bulldogs came up just short, losing 96-84.
After a slow start, both teams began racking up points in a hurry. The game went back-and-forth for a while but a mini-run by SWC gave them the slight edge by the midway point of the half. Mac kept things close and took the lead with less than seven to play in the opening period. Southwestern scored the final four points of the half to take a 44-40 lead into the break.
The Bulldogs shot the ball well in the opening 20 minutes, counting 13-of-30 from the floor but saw just 3-of-10 threes falling through; they made 11-of-14 from the charity stripe. For as well as Mac shot, the Moundbuilders were even better, scoring on nearly 52% from the field; they watched 14-of-27 field goals including 4-of-9 from deep along with 12-of-17 free throws drop in the first half.
McPherson always seemed to be playing catchup in the second. Anytime the 'Dogs would gain ground and tie the game up, Southwestern would score a couple of buckets to stay out in front. The teams were last tied at 61-61 with just over 12 minutes remaining. After that, Mac stayed within a few points until the Builders pulled away with less than five to go. Scoring droughts in the second half hurt the Bulldogs as they eventually fell 96-84.
MC scored on 15-of-39 field goals in the final period with a solid 6-of-13 going in from downtown; they netted eight of their nine free throws. Southwestern somehow upped their shooting percentage to 52.8%, hitting 19-of-36 from the floor with 7-of-13 from beyond the arc; the team went 7-of-8 from the stripe in the last 20 minutes.
The Bulldogs shot 40.6% for the game, 28-of-69, and were 9-of-23 from range; 19-of-23 free throws dropped in for McPherson, 82.6%. Mac's rebounding numbers were again low but it's hard to get many defensive boards with your opponent shooting so well; the 'Dogs hauled in 32 total with nine offensive rebounds. They also recorded 12 turnovers, 10 steals, five assists, and one block. McPherson scored 47 points from their bench, 36 points were netted in the paint, and 25 came off of turnovers.
Leading the scoring for MC was Dee Roberts who bucketed 6-of-15 field goals with 4-of-6 threes and 2-of-2 free throws for 18 points; he also had five rebounds and a pair of steals. Having a breakout game was Chris Lowe. The freshman scored 17 points on 6-of-10 from the field and 4-of-6 from the line; he recorded three seals and a pair of assists as well. Also having his best game of the year was Ryan O'Hara who ended the night with 17 points; the junior went 6-of-12 from the floor including 2-of-3 from deep and 3-of-4 from the charity stripe. Chris Crook scored 14 for the Bulldogs on 3-of-9 field goals and a perfect 6-of-6 from the foul line.
McPherson is right back at it as they take on Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas on Saturday the 21st; tipoff for the JV is at 3:00 p.m. (CT) with the varsity at 7:00.
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McPherson College is a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference member school and a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
