LAWRENCE, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- The McPherson College men's basketball team shot 56.0 percent from the field and 61.5 percent from behind the arc in the second half to erase a 14-point halftime deficit, but Haskell's Tristan Keah-Tigh drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Indians a 77-75 victory Thursday night at Coffin Sports Complex.
After sprinting out to a huge lead in Tuesday night's loss to York, McPherson's start in Thursday's game was a complete 180-degree turn. The Bulldogs (1-13) missed their first seven shots as the Indians (5-11) grabbed a 13-0 lead just 4:17 into the game.
Grant Raleigh (Hesston, Kan., Hesston HS) hit a runner in the lane at the 15:09 mark that finally put McPherson on the board.
The Bulldogs rallied over the next three minutes to cut the lead to five, but Haskell quickly responded with a 15-4 run to push the lead to 16 on a 3-pointer by A'Ram Johnson at the 8:18 mark. McPherson was able to trim the lead back to single digits briefly on an
Aaron Bachura (Wilsey, Kan., Council Grove HS) layup with 2:49 remaining in the half, but the Indians scored 10 of the final 14 to take a 48-34 lead at halftime.
Haskell took its largest lead of the game when Bryon Elledge drained a 3-pointer to open the second half. The Bulldogs rallied with a 17-2 run capped by a pair of Bachura 3-pointers to cut the deficit to just two at 53-51 with 13:51 to play. Raleigh also accounted for six points during the stretch as McPherson held the hosts to 1-of-11 shooting. Keah-Tigh drained back-to-back 3-pointers to end a drought of over five minutes without a field goal for the Indians only to see Bachura counter with consecutive treys of his own to once again make it a two-point game as the clock ticked past the halfway mark of the second half.
A dunk by Nakia Hendricks gave the Indians a 68-63 lead with 3:57 remaining, but the Bulldogs mounted another charge with nine straight points over the next three minutes. McPherson took the its first lead of the game on a pair of
Grant Munsen (Manhattan, Kan., Manhattan HS) free throws with 1:57 to play, then, after Hendricks came up empty on a pair of free throws at the other end, extended the lead to four on a
Garrett Owen (Woodward, Okla., Woodward HS) 3-pointer with 58 seconds on the clock.
On Haskell's next possession, Keah-Tigh came up empty on a shot from long range but Keith Moore snagged the offensive rebound. The Indians took advantage of their extra opportunity as Johnson knocked down a 3 to cut the Bulldog lead to just one with 38 seconds left.
A quick foul put Owen at the line, but he came up empty on the front end of a 1-and-1. Haskell again took advantage as Keah-Tigh drained another 3-pointer to give the Indians a 74-72 lead. McPherson retook the lead when Owen calmly spotted up from behind the arc and drained the shot, leaving just three second on the clock. Keah-Tigh took the inbounds pass and raced to midcourt where he launched a high, arching shot that fell in without touching the rim as the final buzzer sounded.
After shooting just 44.1 percent (15-of-34) from the field with just one 3-pointer in the first 20 minutes, the Bulldogs found their shooting touch in the second half, hitting 56.0 percent (14-of-25) from the field and 61.5 percent (8-of-13) from behind the arc.
Bachura scored a game-high 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting with five 3-pointers. Owen added 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting with four 3-pointers. He also had five rebounds and four assists, while Raleigh finished with 10 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals.
Munsen had eight points, while
Louis Parker III (Midwest City, Okla., Midwest City HS) had eight points and seven boards off the bench.
Haskell finished the game shooting 42.4 percent (28-of-66) from the field but hit 17 3-pointers. Keah-Tigh had a team-high 18 points, all on 3-pointers, while Moore added 15. Hendricks finished with a 11-point, 10-rebound double-double with a pair of assists and two blocks, while Elledge posted eight points and eight assists.
"It's really hard to know what to say," said head coach
Tim Swartzendruber. "We made a great comeback in the second half to put ourselves in a position to win. Garrett Owen hit a clutch shot there at the end, but Haskell was able to come up with the shot at the buzzer. Those are tough to lose."
The Bulldogs will have a short night after returning to McPherson. The team departs campus before the break of dawn for Wichita to board flights for San Juan, Puerto Rico. McPherson will spend five days in Puerto Rico, practicing Saturday before facing the Universidad del Sagrado Corazon at 10 a.m. Central Time Sunday morning. The Bulldogs will also face the Universidad de Puerto Rico-Carolina (Monday, 5 p.m. CT) on the trip before returning to Kansas Wednesday, Dec. 20.
