Ottawa, Kan. – The close losses continue to pile up for the MC men's basketball team. On Thursday night, the 'Dogs mounted a comeback in the final minute of the game but fell just short, dropping the contest 80-73 to Ottawa University. The team sits at 8-19 on the year and 4-11 in the conference; Mac is still in eighth in the KCAC.
"Once again, we were close," said Swartzendruber. "But missing all those shots in the lane and not making free throws ultimately cost us. Getting 20 offensive rebounds is great effort, we just need to finish better inside."
The Bulldogs trailed by a handful for most of the opening period, holding the lead for the first couple minutes and then tying it up with just over three to play. Ottawa scored eight of the final 10 points in the half and took a 33-27 advantage into the break. MC dropped in 11-of-36 with 3-of-11 falling in. The Braves connected on 14-of-32 with three from deep as well.
In the second, the two teams stayed within a couple buckets of each other throughout; OU led for most of the half but the 'Dogs did hold the advantage a few times. Down the stretch, McPherson didn't get the stops needed to take the lead and, despite a valiant effort in the final minute of the game in which they scored 15 points in the last 70 seconds, came up short 80-73. MC cashed in on 8-of-10 three balls and made 8-of-25 field goals in the second; they were just 6-of-12 from the charity stripe. Ottawa scored on 10-of-23 from the floor and 26-of-32 from the foul line.
Mac finished the game shooting in just 38% from the floor, 27-of-71, but went a solid 11-of-21 from behind the arc; FYI, the record for most attempted field goals in a game for MC is 101 and their highest this season is 78. The Bulldogs dropped in 8-of-14 free throws, 57.1%. The team was able to outrebound the lengthy Braves 44-to-37 and grabbed 20 offensive boards. McPherson also tallied 15 turnovers, 12 assists, four steals, and two blocks. 28 of the team's total points came from bench players and 18 came after their offensive rebounds.
DeAndre Henson entered the game from the bench and scored a team-high 19 points; he dropped in 7-of-12 from the field and was a perfect 5-of-5 from behind the arc. Both TJ Grant and Chris Crook logged 14 points; Grant was 6-of-10 from the floor while Crook made 5-of-12 field goals and a pair of foul shots. Darius Hill only scored 12 points for Mac but was responsible for an eye-popping 19 rebounds.
The Bulldogs are off to Southwestern College on Valentine's Day with the tipoff set for 7:00 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
