Hillsboro, Kan. – McPherson College fell on Wednesday night 92-64 in the opening round of the postseason conference tournament to No. 1 Tabor College who shot lights-out, 63% on the game. Mac is now done for the year and finishes the season with a 10-21 overall record.
"Tabor was really good tonight and we didn't make shots," said Coach Swartzendruber. "We made a nice run in second half but the hole was too deep. It is always hard to end the season when you have to say good bye to your seniors. They left it on the floor tonight. It just wasn't meant to be."
It was a very tight first 20 minute with the Bulldogs coming out as the aggressors and maintaining a slim lead for the first seven minutes. Tabor took control midway through the period but MC stayed right on their heels. The 'Dogs had a couple chances to get their deficit back within two late in the half but failed to convert; they headed into the locker room down 37-31. McPherson made 13-of-37 in the opening period; they were 1-of-9 from range. TC bucketed 15-of-25 (60%) with 2-of-6 three balls.
The second half was dictated by a very talented Bluejay squad. Tabor steadily increased their lead throughout the first part of the second period and it reached 20 with 15 minutes remaining. Again, the 'Dogs were resilient and closed the gap to 10 by the 11-minute mark. TC then went on a mini-run to get their lead back above 15 which is where is sat the rest of the way; the 'Jays took the game 92-64. MC netted 10-of-33 field goals with just 2-of-9 threes; they went 11-of-15 from the foul line. Tabor upped their already impressive shooting percentage, cashing in on 20-of-31 from the floor; they were 8-of-12 from behind the arc and 7-of-11 from the stripe.
McPherson ended the game making 23-of-70 from the field with just 3-of-18 three balls dropping through; they went 15-of-21 from the charity stripe. The team pulled in 35 rebounds including 13 on the offensive end. They also tallied eight turnovers, eight steals, six assists, and a block. 26 of Mac's total came in the paint and 26 were also scored from bench players.
Senior TJ Grant closed out his career with 19 points on 6-of-17 field goals and a perfect 6-of-6 free throws; he recorded six rebounds and also had a team-high two assists. Louis Parker III, the Co-Freshman of the Year for the KCAC, played very well for MC; he scored 15 points on 5-of-9 from the floor and 5-of-8 from the line. Darius Hill ended his career with yet another double-double; he scored 11 points and had 10 rebounds.
The Bulldogs graduate four in Kaven Denno, Derek Bevan, Darius Hill, and TJ Grant.
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McPherson College is a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference member school and a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
