Winfield, Kan. – In a game that McPherson College held a double-digit advantage most of the way, Southwestern College made it a game late but the Bulldogs prevailed for the 91-81 victory. MC is now all but set in eighth place for the upcoming tournament; they are two-games up on ninth and three back of seventh with just two to go.
"We shot well in the first half and were great defensively," said Coach Swartzendruber. "We got a little rattled towards the end of the game but I'm proud of our finish. A good win indeed."
The 'Dogs played like they were shot out of a cannon to start the game. They quickly went up double figures and led by 20 for a good portion of the opening period. Mac scored the only points in the final three minutes of the half and led 46-29 at the break. MC shot in 19-of-36 in the first with 5-of-10 three balls going down while the Builders made 10-of-26 field goals and 7-of-12 free throws. Darius Hill led the Bulldogs with an impressive 17 points at the break.
McPherson maintained their double-digit advantage to start the second with the lead peaking at 23 midway through the period. SWC didn't go down without a fight in their home gym as they put together a 12-0 run and saw themselves down eight with three minutes to play. The Bulldogs hit 6-of-8 free throws down the stretch and won 91-81. Mac's shooting percentage dipped a bit as they hit on 12-of-27 with a solid 5-of-8 threes falling; they made 17-of-22 tries from the charity stripe. Southwestern scored on 20-of-29 with 4-of-8 coming from downtown; they made a poor 8-of-16 from the line.
After shooting over 50% for most of the game, Mac closed out the night hitting on 31-of-63 with 10-of-18 going down from behind the arc; they made 19 of their 26 free throws. The team grabbed 32 boards with seven being offensive. The 'Dogs also netted 12 assists, eight steals, just five turnovers, and a block. 27 points were scored in the paint, 26 came from the bench, and 18 were off of turnovers.
Hill ended the game making 12-of-19 field goals and 3-of-4 free throws for 27 points; he also grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds, all defensive, for his KCAC-leading 13th double-double. TJ Grant was second on the team in scoring with his 23 total as he made 5-of-10 from the floor and an impressive 10-of-12 fouls shots; the senior also dished out five assists. DeAndre Henson bucketed 12 points for MC on 3-of-4 threes and 3-of-4 free throws including the two that sealed the game.
The 'Dogs will begin their final week of the regular season with a home game against Friends University on February 19th; JV is set for 4:00 p.m. (CT) with varsity starting at 8:00.
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McPherson College is a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference member school and a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
