McPherson, Kan. – Much like what happened this past Thursday, the MC men's basketball team had one of their hardest fought games of the year and did a very good job shooting the ball. Unfortunately, the final score didn't go their way as they lost an 88-74 contest to Southwestern College.
Both teams had a hard time finding their groove in the opening minutes as it took nearly 10 minutes for either side to find double figures. Eventually the tempo of the game picked up, as did the scoring; there were three ties and eight lead changes in the opening period, making for some exciting basketball. SWC put in a couple more buckets than Mac which led to the Builders leading 40-38 at halftime. The Bulldogs put 12 of their 24 field goals through the net with 5-of-9 coming from behind the arc; 9-of-10 free throws were made by MC. Southwestern dropped in 50% as well, 14-of-28, with 5-of-13 threes; they connected on 7-of-11 from the stripe.
The second half started much like the first ended, very fast paced with multiple ties and lead changes. The score stayed tight until a 17-5 run by Southwestern put the Moundbuilders up 12 with five minutes to play. McPherson battled through and quickly got it back to single figures but then went cold from the floor. The Bulldogs had their chances to swing the momentum back to their favor a few times but misses on the offensive end left room for SWC to stay in front for the rest of the game which they did, winning 88-74. Mac shot in another 12 field goals, 12-of-28, and had 3-of-9 three-point tries fall in; 9-of-11 free throws were counted for the Bulldogs. Southwestern upped their first-half shooting by making 16-of-30 in the second, 3-of-7 were from range; the Builders shot well from the foul line as well, making 13-of-14.
McPherson put 24-of-52 field goals in for the game with 8-of-18 coming from beyond the three-point line; 18-of-21 free throws were put through by Mac. The team totaled just 22 rebounds as there weren't many defensive boards to get; they had just one offensive rebound, however. The Bulldogs also logged 13 turnovers, 11 assists, four steals, and one block.
Chris Crook played a very nice game for MC, totaling 25 points on 7-of-11 field goals and 10-of-11 free throws; he also led the team in rebounds with seven. Dee Roberts returned to the lineup for the Bulldogs and scored 13 points, all coming in the first half; he was 4-of-8 from the floor including 3-of-5 from distance. Aaron Bachura also had a good showing, making 4-of-5 shots with three coming from deep for his 11 points.
The Bulldogs will host Bethel College next Wednesday for their next outing; the JV game is set to start at 4:00 p.m. (CT) with the varsity game slated for 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
