North Newton, Kan. – The McPherson College men's basketball team got their first KCAC win of the year on Saturday as they took down Bethel College 75-63; the win puts MC at 3-4 this season and breaks a four-game skid.
Mac shot out of a cannon to start the game as they scored easily on their first three possessions. The Threshers settled down and surged back and eventually took the lead midway through the half. The teams stayed neck-and-neck for the rest of the period with three points being the largest lead. After 20 minutes of play, Bethel led 35-34. The 'Dogs hit 13-of-30 from the floor with multiple bunnies inside the paint; they made 4-of-11 from range and 4-of-7 from the foul line. BC shot just 29.7% from the floor, 11-of-37, but made 9-of-11 from the charity stripe.
In the second half, the Thresher lead was short lived as MC used a mini-run to jump in front just three minutes into the period; the 'Dogs never relinquished their advantage. Courtesy of a few three-point buckets by Dee Roberts midway through the half, McPherson extended their lead to double figures. Mac's advantage was never in question for the final 10 minutes as the Bulldogs rolled to the 12-point victory. MC shot in 16-of-31 field goals with 5-of-11 coming from behind the arc in the second; they made all four of their free throws. Bethel hit 10-of-36 from the floor with a mere 2-of-15 threes finding the bottom of the net; they made 6-of-11 foul shots.
The Bulldogs posted a solid 47.5 field goals percentage for the game; they were 29-of-61 from the floor with 9-of-22 dropping from range. McPherson only took 11 free throws in the contest and made eight. The team ended the night with 47 rebounds along with 15 turnovers, 14 assists, and three steals.
Roberts netted a game-high 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting with 4-of-7 threes making their way in; he also had four rebounds in the contest. Chris Crook scored 14 points on 5-of-14 field goals with two from distance; he made both of his free throws. Reed Rowell had an incredible night rebounding with his 16 defensive boards; the forward also scored 12 points and had one assist and a steal in a game-high 35 minutes of play. Ramon Martinez was Mac's scoring in the opening minutes of the game and ended with 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from the stripe; the sophomore also had a team-high six assists. Ryan O'Hara battled foul trouble all game but still scored nine points on 4-of-6 from the floor and had a pair of boards as well.
The 'Dogs have their first conference home game this next Tuesday, the 24th of November as they host Ottawa University for an 8:00 p.m. (CT) contest; the JV teams are set to play at 4:00.
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McPherson College is a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference member school and a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
