SALINA, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- Terell Gandy hit a 3-pointer with 31 seconds to play to give Kansas Wesleyan University an 83-81 victory over McPherson College in a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) men's basketball game Saturday night at Mabee Arena.
The Bulldogs (4-2, 0-2 KCAC), who led 76-69 with 6:06 to play, had three chances to tie or win the game in the final 30 seconds but could not get a shot to fall.
The teams opened the game on fairly even terms with Kansas Wesleyan grabbing a 21-17 lead with 12:37 to play in the first half on a layup by Jamon Fulton. After trading missed 3-pointers,
Ryan O'Hara (San Antonio, Texas, Cedar Valley CC) hit a jumper to kick off a 7-0 McPherson run back-ended by a 3-pointer and a layup by
Chris Crook (Oklahoma City, Okla., Millwood HS).
The Bulldogs continued to hold the lead the rest of the half, extending it to seven with 1:01 to play on another 3-pointer by Crook. Raul Neri scored four points in the final 34 seconds to cut the McPherson advantage to just three at 47-44 headed to the break.
The visitors shot 17-of-33 from the field and drained eight 3-pointers in the first half, compared to 18-of-33 shooting and four treys for the hosts.
The McPherson lead continued to erode in the second half behind the play of Jacob Lunz. After hitting a pair of shots in the first couple of minutes, Lunz blocked a
DeAndre Henson (Aberdeen, Md., Cloud County CC) shot then converted a traditional three-point play at the other end to give Kansas Wesleyan a 53-52 lead. After Trent Edwards and O'Hara traded baskets in the paint, Lunz scored six of the next eight points to push the Coyote lead to five points.
A pair of Neri free throws pushed the score to 66-61, but the Bulldogs responded on the next trip down the court with a 3-pointer from O'Hara to spark a 15-3 run capped by another three by Henson that gave McPherson a 76-69 lead with 6:06 to play.
Kansas Wesleyan chipped away at the lead over the next 3:18 with Gandy capping a 10-3 run with a 3-pointer to tie the game at 79-79 with 2:48 to play. Lunz was fouled while grabbing the rebound after a
Grant Munsen (Manhattan, Kan., Manhattan HS) miss on the next trip down the court and converted one of two free throws to take a 1-point lead.
A pair of Crook free throws with 1:31 to play gave McPherson back the lead, but
Grant Raleigh (Hesston, Kan., Hesston HS) missed a pair of free throws with 47 seconds remaining, opening the door for Gandy to put the Coyotes back in front with a 3-pointer 16 seconds later.
Holding for the final shot, Crook's layup attempt with four seconds to play was blocked by Lunz. The ball remained with McPherson, however, as the rebound went out of bounds off a Kansas Wesleyan player.
Inbounding under its own hoop, McPherson had a pair of opportunities in the final 3.4 seconds. Henson's initial shot was rebounded by O'Hara, whose putback attempt was also unsuccessful.
McPherson placed four players in double figures, led by Crook with 16 off the bench. Crook was 5-of-13 from the field with four 3-pointers and had two rebounds. Henson had 14 points on 4-of-12 shooting, matching Crook with four 3-pointers. He also had three rebounds and two assists. O'Hara added 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting with five rebounds, one block and one steal, while
Careino Gurley (Minneapolis, Minn., Rochester CTC) had a balanced game with 10 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Jacob Lunz led the Coyotes with a game-high 19 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and 9-of-11 shooting at the free throw line. He also had seven rebounds, three blocks and an assist. Gandy added 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including four 3-pointers, while Ryan Hill had 12 points and three assists. Grant Sylvester added seven points and a game-high eight rebounds off the bench.
"It is certainly tough to lose another close game," said head coach
Tim Swartzendruber. "We had our chances. Our inability to knock down free throws hurt us. (You have to} give Kansas Wesleyan credit. They made plays down the stretch."
The Bulldogs return to the court Tuesday night with an 8 p.m. KCAC matchup against Oklahoma Wesleyan University (4-4, 2-0 KCAC) at the Sport Center.
