TRUJILLO ALTO, P.R. (macbulldogs.com) --- Freshman
Frederick Watts (Houston, Texas, Channelview HS) posted career-highs with 21 points and 11 rebounds to lead the McPherson College men's basketball team to a dominating 85-42 win over the University of Puerto Rico at Carolina in the Puerto Rico Clasico Monday night at Coliseo Ruben Zayas Montanez.
Los Jaguares grabbed the game's first lead on a 3-pointer by J.Rodriguez just one minute in, but Watts responded with eight of the next 10 points to give the Bulldogs (3-13) an 8-5 lead less than six minutes into the game.
Louis Parker III (Midwest City, Okla., Midwest City HS) followed with seven points in a row to push the McPherson lead to 15-5 as the clock ticked past the 9:00 mark in the first half.
After being fouled by Parker on a 3-point attempt, N.Crespo hit two of three free throws and C.Tejada added a basket in the paint to trim the lead to six at 15-9 with 8:19 remaining. Tejada's hoop ended a drought of nearly 10 minutes without a field goal for Carolina. Los Jaguares managed just five more points the rest of the half - three on free throws by H.Colon plus a basket by D.Lopez with 1:39 to play in the half.
The Bulldogs finished the half on a 20-5 run capped by a 3-pointer by
Taylor Ellison (Tulsa, Okla., Memorial HS) to take a 35-14 lead into the break.
McPherson dominated UPR-Carolina defensively in the first half, holding Los Jaguares to just 4-of-22 shooting in the first half, including a 1-of-9 effort from behind the arc. The Bulldogs also held a 29-15 advantage on the boards, keeping Carolina without an offensive rebound. McPherson was 12-of-34 from the field and 9-of-12 from the free throw line but struggled from behind the arc, hitting just 2 of 10 shots.
Both teams improved their shooting in the second half but that didn't stop McPherson from pulling away. The Bulldogs, who scored the first nine points of the period, shot 66.7 percent (16-of-24) from the field and 16-of-21 (76.2 percent) at the free throw line in the final 20 minutes compared to just 8-of-28 (28.6 percent) and 11-of-21 (52.4 percent) for Los Jaguares.
The McPherson lead reached its apex of 42 points when
Parkes Wolters (Osborne, Kan., Osborne HS) drained a pair of free throws with 1:18 to play in the game. Carolina scored its final points of the game on a S.Martinez 3-pointer on its next trip down the court, ending another long field-goal drought - this one of over nine minutes.
Overall, the Bulldogs amassed a 51-29 advantage on the boards, including an 11-4 edge on the offensive glass.
In addition to Watts' double-double, Parker added 11 points and
Jeffrey Oxford (Claremore, Okla., Claremore HS) 10 off the bench to lead a balanced McPherson effort. Ellison finished with eight and Bachura seven, while
Grant Munsen (Manhattan, Kan., Manhattan HS),
Garrett Owen (Woodward, Okla., Woodward HS),
Grant Raleigh (Hesston, Kan., Hesston HS) and Wolters each had six points. Owen also had four assists and a career-high 10 rebounds, while Munsen added five boards, four assists, two blocks and two steals.
Colon led Los Jaguares with 13 points and three assists. Over half of his points (7) came at the free throw line. Lopez added nine points, three rebounds and two steals off the bench.
"Our defensive effort was outstanding," said head coach
Tim Swartzendruber. "We didn't shoot well in the first half but bounced back in the second half. Fred Watts had his best game as a Bulldogs, which was great to see. These two wins should give us a boost of confidence when we return from break."
The team will participate in another service project and will have some down time Tuesday before returning to the mainland on Wednesday. After a short break for the holidays, the Bulldogs will venture to Hays, Kansas, to face Fort Hays State University in an exhibition game at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 30.
McPherson returns to Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) action on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2018, in Salina against Kansas Wesleyan University.
