McPherson, Kan. – McPherson College and Friends University had a very tight contest for nearly 35 minutes but a late push by the Falcons gave FU the game 81-66. The Bulldogs are now 3-9 on the year and 1-5 in the KCAC.
MC held a slim advantage for most of the first half but never were able to pull away. Friends capitalized on this with a few minutes remaining in the period and took a 32-28 lead into the locker room. Neither team shot the ball very well from behind the arc as they combined for an 8-of-28 showing in the opening 20 minutes. McPherson went 8-of-27 in the half with 3-of-12 from deep; they made 9-of-12 free throws. The Falcons connected on 10-of-33 field goals, dropping in 5-of-16 threes; the team went 7-of-11 from the charity stripe.
Mac came out and tied the game early on in the second but trailed by a bucket for most of the first 10 minutes. Around the midway point of the half, a couple of well-timed runs by Friends put them in front by double-digits with less than four minutes remaining. Poor shooting by McPherson and free throw makes by the Falcons ended the game at 81-66 in favor of the visiting team. Both teams upped their shooting in the second half. The 'Dogs were 14-of-28 from the floor but made just 2-of-10 three pointers; 8-of-10 foul shots were counted by MC. Friends knocked down 13-of-24 field goals with 4-of-9 three balls going through; the team hit 19-of-22 from the stripe.
Mac closed out the night with a 40% shooting percentage, 22-of-55, but netted just 5-of-22 from deep, 22.7%; they did make 17-of-22 free throws. The team logged 12 assists, 10 turnovers, six steals, and two blocks. 36 points were scored in the paint while 17 came from players who started the game on the bench.
Chris Crook led all scoring with his 17 points on 5-of-10 field goals and 5-of-6 free throws; he grabbed five rebounds as well. Ramon Martinez scored 14, making 5-of-7 from the floor and 4-of-6 from the line; the sophomore pulled in six defensive boards. Dee Roberts was the final Bulldog to make it into double figures as he had 12 points on 5-of-19 shooting with just 1-of-10 three-point buckets. Kyle Lakin led the team in assists with four, three of which came in the game's opening minutes.
McPherson will travel to Lindsborg, Kansas on Thursday the 10th for a county-rivalry game against Bethany College. The JV game is set to tipoff at 4:00 p.m. (CT) with varsity at 8:00.
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.
