Men's Basketball Tops Bacone to Improve to 3-0

McPHERSON, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- The McPherson College men's basketball team improved to 3-0 with a dominating 78-44 win over Bacone College in the final game of the McPherson Classic on Saturday at the Sport Center.
 
DeAndre Henson (Aberdeen, Md., Cloud County CC) started off with the hot shooting touch for McPherson, opening the game with a 3-pointer and accounting for eight points as the Bulldogs started the game on a 10-0 run. The Warriors responded with nine of the next 14 points, including five from Richie Spiller, to cut the lead to six.
 
McPherson pushed the lead back to double-digits on threes by Jordan Windholz (Hays, Kan., Barton CC) and Aaron Bachura (Wilsey, Kan., Council Grove HS) and a layup by Chris Crook (Oklahoma City, Okla., Millwood HS) and concluded the half with a 15-2 run behind two more treys by Bachura and a pair of baskets by Thomas Butler (Key West, Fla., Vermilion CC).
 
The Bulldogs shot 42.2 percent (14-of-33) from the field, made eight 3-pointers and hit on all six of their attempts at the free throw line in the first half en route to a 42-18 halftime lead. McPherson was also very effective on defense, holding Bacone (0-2) to just 7-of-32 shooting through 20 minutes.
 
McPherson continued to build on its lead in the second half, opening with a 10-2 run to make it 52-20 with 13:45 to play. Bacone would rally, however, scoring 13 straight points – the last seven by Spiller – to reduce McPherson's advantage to 19 at 52-33 with 9:57 remaining. The Bulldogs responded with a 13-0 run of their own later in the half as both teams began to utilize their benches in the final 10 minutes.
 
The Bulldogs shot 33.5 percent (27-of-62) from the field overall, made 11 3-pointers and were nearly perfect (13-of-14) at the free throw line, while Bacone struggled to 25.4 percent (15-of-59) shooting.
 
Henson finished with 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting with four 3-pointers, six rebounds, a block and an assist. Bachura added 13 points, four rebounds, two steals and an assist.
 
Reed Rowell (Topeka, Kan., Butler CC) matched Henson with a team-high six boards, while also posting eight points and four assists. Grant Raleigh (Hesston, Kan., Hesston HS) had a game-high seven assists.
 
Spiller scored a game-high 18 points off the bench behind three 3-pointers and 7-of-8 shooting at the charity stripe to lead Bacone. Sterlton Wenner led the Warriors with six rebounds.
 
"Our defense continues to be our strong point and that is good," said head coach Tim Swartzendruber. "We were able to take away Bacone's strengths. It was nice that we made some shots early, which helped get us going. A big shout-out to our students, who were great all weekend."
 
The Bulldogs are on the road a couple of times next week, facing crosstown rival Central Christian College at 8 p.m. Wednesday before heading off to Colorado for a Friday game at the United States Air Force Academy. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. Central Time. The game will be the regular-season opener for the Falcons, but will be considered an exhibition for McPherson.