McPHERSON, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) ---
DeAndre Henson (Aberdeen, Md., Cloud County CC) led McPherson College with 25 points, 12 rebounds and four assists, but York College emerged with a 74-69 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) men's basketball win Saturday night at the Sport Center.
The Panthers (19-9, 15-5 KCAC) used a 5-0 run early on to break an 8-8 tie and grab the first significant lead of the game. The Bulldogs (12-16, 6-14 KCAC) responded with five points of their own, tying the game at 13-13 with 13:50 to play in the first. The McPherson rally would be halted by a basket by Drelan Triplett on York's next trip down the floor, sending the Panthers off on a 13-4 run over the next four minutes that pushed the lead to nine.
The Bulldogs reduced the deficit to just three on a basket by
Tyler Giron (Houston, Texas, Dobie HS) with 3:28 left in the half, but York rallied for eight straight points to push the lead to double-digits with 1:15 to play. McPherson scored four of the final six points of half to send teams into the halftime break with York leading 40-31.
Aaron Bachura (Wilsey, Kan., Council Grove HS) drained a 3-pointer to open the second half, but the Panthers followed with eight points in a row to build a 14-point lead and held the Bulldogs scoreless for nearly five minutes before
Grant Raleigh (Hesston, Kan., Hesston HS) hit a jumper at the 15:21 mark. That spurred a 14-4 McPherson run over the next 7:27 that sliced the York advantage to just two with under eight minutes to play. The Panthers were held without a field goal for over six and a half minutes during the stretch.
In the game's final 5:31, the teams combined for just four field goals - two for each team. Nearly all of the scoring came from the free throw line where McPherson was an excellent 10-of-12. York was able to keep the Bulldogs at bay, though, by converting 11 of their 12 opportunities.
Saturday's game was played at a more reserved pace than the 115-103 York win on Jan. 5 in Nebraska. That night, York shot 57.1 percent from the field and the teams combined for 26 3-pointers. On Saturday, both teams struggled from behind the arc. The Bulldogs were 5-of-29 (17.2 percent), while the Panthers were 3-of-21 (14.3 percent). Both teams shot well at the free-throw line, though. York was 19-of-26 (73.1 percent), while McPherson hit 16 of 19 attempts (84.2 percent).
Cameron Coleman posted a double-double, leading all players with 29 points on 10-of-14 shooting and 15 rebounds. He also made nine of 10 free throws and had a game-high three steals. Michael Johnson added 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting, while Keith Mack added 11 points and eight rebounds.
Henson finished 10-of-20 from the field, including 3-of-8 behind the arc, in over 36 minutes of court time. Raleigh was the only other Bulldog in double figures, finishing with 10 points aided by 6-of-8 shooting at the line.
Thomas Butler (Key West, Fla., Vermilion CC) added eight points and four rebounds. Bachura - who had a career-high 34 points with seven 3-pointers in the first meeting - was held to just seven points on 3-of-19 shooting.
"We played well enough defensively to win," said head coach
Tim Swartzendruber. "Unfortunately, we missed too many open shots. York is very talented and Cameron Coleman, in particular, was outstanding today. He is one of the best players in the KCAC. We will bounce back and be ready for next week."
With the loss, McPherson was mathematically eliminated from contention for the eighth and final KCAC Tournament berth. The Bulldogs sit three games back of current-No. 8 Oklahoma Wesleyan University with just two games to play. McPherson can still play the role of spoiler, though, with a pair of competitive games remaining on the regular season slate. The Bulldogs travel to Ottawa University (12-15, 10-10 KCAC) on Thursday, Feb. 16, for the last road game of the year, then close out the year with a Senior Day game against Southwestern (19-9, 12-8 KCAC) on Saturday, Feb. 18 at the Sport Center. McPherson dropped the earlier meetings against both schools, losing to Ottawa, 86-72, on Jan. 7, and at Southwestern, 93-78, on Jan. 12.
