McPherson, Kan. – After trailing for most of the second half, the Bulldog basketball team fought hard down the stretch and on the shoulders of Chris Crook stole a game from Oklahoma Wesleyan University 85-84 in the Sport Center.
The first half went really well for McPherson as they took the lead early and then stayed out in front for most of the opening 20 minutes. The 'Dogs led by as many as eight points but a very athletic Oklahoma Wesleyan team kept things in range. A late run by MC gave them a 37-29 halftime advantage in a very low scoring first period. Mac netted 14-of-33 from the field in the half with 4-of-10 threes falling through; they made 5-of-8 from the stripe. OKWU connected on 7-of-21 two-point tries but made just five of their unheard-of 22 three-point attempts; they missed both of their free throws.
The Eagles must have had some halftime pep-talk as they stormed out on a 16-4 run to go ahead 45-41 less than five minutes into the period. McPherson woke up and stayed with a bucket for the next several minutes but another run by OKWU increased their lead to eight with less than seven to go. The 'Dogs again pushed back and tied things up with 3:43 remaining. Oklahoma Wesleyan stayed in front by just enough until a 5-0 run by Mac tied it again with a minute to play. Following a distance two-point bucket by the Eagles, Crook drained a contested three pointer to put MC ahead for the first time since the 15-minute mark of the half. Another tough shot by OKWU gave them a one-point advantage. Crook was fouled with three seconds on the clock and the 87% free throw shooter once again answered the call, draining both foul shots to push the score to 85-84. Oklahoma Wesleyan tried to set up a last-second play but the inexperienced squad, four freshman and a sophomore on the court, threw the ball away thanks to pressure by Ryan O'Hara to give McPherson the one-point victory.
The Bulldogs had a great half shooting as they watched 14-of-25 field goals drop with 3-of-9 from behind the arc; they made 17-of-19 from the charity stripe. OKWU had an equally good half, making 21-of-35 field goals including 10-of-18 from long range; they knocked down 3-of-5 free throws. The Eagles shot a season-high 40 three pointers, making 15.
MC closed the game out with a 48.3 field goal percentage, 28-of-58; they made 7-of-19 threes and 22-of-27 from the line. The team tallied 43 rebounds including 10 on the offensive end of the floor. The 'Dogs also had 18 turnovers, seven assists, four steals, and three blocks in their win. 51 points were scored in the paint and 29 came from players who started the game on the bench.
Crook led McPherson in scoring with his 27 points on 8-of-15 field goals and 7-of-9 free throws; he dropped in 4-of-7 from deep and also had eight rebounds in a team-high 32 minutes. Dee Roberts and Ramon Martinez both scored 17 points for Mac; Martinez was 7-of-10 from the floor and a perfect 3-of-3 from the stripe while Roberts made 7-of-13 field goals and 1-of-2 foul shots. Grant Raleigh didn't score in the game but the freshman dished out five of the team's seven assists.
It's off to sunny California for the Bulldogs as they're next two games will be on the west coast. The team starts their trip with a matchup against Life Pacific University on Thursday the 17th at 9:30 p.m. (CT)
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McPherson College is a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference member school and a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
