McPherson, Kan. – The McPherson College men's basketball team was only able to score 25 points in the opening 20 minutes and, even though they scored 41 in the second, dropped a 76-66 contest to Sterling College on Saturday. Mac is now 8-18 this season and 4-10 in the KCAC.
"We continue to play hard," said Coach Swartzendruber. "We just aren't making shots. It is disappointing but you have to fight through the adversity."
Both teams started the game slow and kept the score gap close throughout; there were eight lead changes and three ties in the first half. Sterling ended the period on a 7-0 run and that was the difference as they led 32-25 at the break. Mac put in 11-of-30 tries with 3-of-11 threes dropping. The Warriors cashed in on 13-of-25 field goals but made just 2-of-7 from range; they were the only team to attempt free throws in the half and made all four.
It was another close 20 minutes for the second period. Sterling was able to get their advantage to double-digits a couple of times but never for more than a couple possessions. Mac trailed by a handful in the final minutes but was never able to get closer than five; each basket made by the Bulldogs was answered by SC. The Warriors didn't hit all their free throws down the stretch but made enough to claim the 10-point win, 76-66. McPherson made just 13-of-37 in the second but a lot of those were desperation shots from deep taken late in the game; they made 4-of-17 threes and a perfect 11-of-11 from the charity stripe. Sterling again went 13-of-25 and were able to hit their threes in the second as they watched 7-of-12 drop in; they made 11-of-15 from the line.
The 'Dogs ended the game making 24-of-67 field goals with just 7-of-28 threes making their way through the net; as they attempted zero free throws in the first half, they closed out the night hitting all 11 of their attempts. The team grabbed 32 rebounds with 20 coming off the offensive glass. Mac recorded 14 assists, eight turnovers, three blocks, and just two steals. They scored over half of their total in the paint, 37, and bucketed 16 points on second chance opportunities.
TJ Grant scored 17 to lead McPherson as he was 5-of-14 with three from deep and 4-of-4 from the line; the senior tallied a team-high five assists and also logged one block and one steal. Chris Crook made 6-of-13 field goals along with both of his free throws for his 16 points. The lone double-double for the game was earned by Darius Hill who scored 14 on 5-of-13 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the stripe; he grabbed 12 rebounds with an impressive seven on the offensive end. Derek Bevan had another solid night as he scored four, recorded eight rebounds, six offensive, and had a block and steal.
The next contest for the Bulldogs will be in Ottawa, Kansas as they face the Braves of Ottawa University on February 12th at 8:00 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
