McPHERSON, Kan. ---
DeAndre Henson (Aberdeen, Md., Cloud County CC) scored 21 of his game- and season-high 28 points in the second half as the McPherson College men's basketball team overcame an eight-point halftime deficit to top rival Kansas Wesleyan University, 81-64, in a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) game Wednesday night at the Sport Center.
After a back-and-forth start, the Coyotes (7-12, 3-9 KCAC) grabbed a 12-9 lead just over four minutes in on the strength of five straight points by Terell Gandy. The Bulldogs (9-12, 3-10 KCAC) responded with a 9-2 run behind seven points from Henson to retake the lead but hoops in the paint by Raul Neri and Jamon Fulton tied the game at 18 with 11:42 to play. Neither team was able to build a significant lead until late in the first half when KWU went on a 13-3 run over the course of nearly five minutes to turn a 32-all tie into a 45-35 lead as the clock ticked under one minute remaining.
Chris Crook (Oklahoma City, Okla., Millwood HS) sank a pair of free throws in the waning seconds to cut the Coyote advantage to 45-37 at the break.
McPherson opened the second half on a 14-3 run to retake the lead but Kansas Wesleyan countered with a Dominique Johnson free throw and a bucket by Fulton to tie the game at 51-51 with 12:11 left. A 3-pointer by Henson on the Bulldogs' next trip down the court gave the hosts a lead they would not relinquish. McPherson went 11-of-14 at the line and held Kansas Wesleyan to just three field goals over the final nine minutes to put the game out of reach, while another trey by Henson with 40 seconds left punctuated the Bulldog victory.
The Bulldogs made 13 field goals in each half, finishing the game shooting 44.8 percent (26-of-58) from the field. McPherson was 8-of-21 from 3-point range and hit 21-of-30 free throws. Additionally, the Bulldogs owned the boards in the second half, out-rebounding the Coyotes by a 24-10 margin.
After going 17-of-29 (58.6 percent) from the field with seven 3-pointers in the first half, Kansas Wesleyan cooled considerably in the second. The Coyotes shot just 7-of-21 from the field in the final 20 minutes, including 1-of-8 from behind the arc. KWU was led by 17 points from Fulton off the bench. He shot 6-of-8 from the field with three treys and also had three steals. Gandy added 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting with three 3-pointers while posting three assists.
Henson's 28 points came on 9-of-16 shooting with four 3-pointers. He was also 6-of-8 at the line, pulled down nine rebounds and had two assists and a steal.
Reed Rowell (Topeka, Kan., Butler CC)Rowell finished with a double-double, tallying 10 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals. He was 5-for-5 from the field.
Careino Gurley (Minneapolis, Minn., Rochester CTC) started his first game since December 3 and made the most of his opportunity, tallying a career-high 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field. He also hit all six of his free-throw opportunities and had eight rebounds and three assists.
Aaron Bachura (Wilsey, Kan., Council Grove HS) made it four Bulldogs in double figures with 10 points, while
Grant Raleigh (Hesston, Kan., Hesston HS) added nine points and seven rebounds.
"Our defensive effort in the second half was outstanding," said head coach
Tim Swartzendruber. "We took away their top two scorers and were great on the glass. I also want to say our team appreciated the great student crowd tonight. There was enthusiasm in the gym and we could feel it. We need to keep things rolling."
The Bulldogs make the long road trip to Bartlesville, Okla., on Saturday to face Oklahoma Wesleyan University in another KCAC tilt. Tipoff is slated for 5 p.m. McPherson won the initial meeting between the two schools, 81-73, on Nov. 22 in McPherson.
