Men's Basketball Edged Late at Ottawa, 75-68

OTTAWA, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- Aaron Bachura (Wilsey, Kan., Council Grove HS) scored 24 points and DeAndre Henson (Aberdeen, Md., Cloud County CC) added 18, but it was not enough, as McPherson College dropped a 75-68 decision to Ottawa University in Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) men's basketball action Thursday night at Wilson Field House.
 
McPherson (12-17, 6-15 KCAC) jumped a 14-6 lead less than five minutes in behind seven points from Bachura. Ottawa (13-15, 11-10 KCAC) rallied for 10 straight points – the last eight from Hollis Mitchell – to take a 16-14 lead with 13:46 to play. The final shot by Mitchell – a 3-pointer – prompted a timeout from Bulldogs head coach Tim Swartzendruber.
 
The pause in play seemingly put a lid on both hoops as the teams combined to miss the next 14 shots from the field before a basket by Thomas Butler (Key West, Fla., Vermilion CC) ended a scoreless drought of 4:45 for both teams and tied the game at 16.
 
Ottawa retook the lead 30 seconds later on another hoop by Mitchell, eventually extending the advantage to eight on a pair of free throws by Logan Bullinger at the 2:36 mark of the first half. Grant Munsen (Manhattan, Kan., Manhattan HS) converted a traditional 3-point play to cut the lead to five only to be answered at the other end by a shot from behind the arc by Titus Rice.
 
The Bulldogs finished the half on a 6-2 run, keyed by a pair of baskets by Munsen, to trail 36-32 at halftime.
 
After matching baskets early in the second half, back-to-back 3-pointers by Bachura put the Bulldogs ahead, 44-41, with 15:35 left in the game.
 
Ottawa answered with a 16-0 run over the course of 6:14 to take control of the game. McPherson missed eight straight shots and turned the ball over five times during the stretch until Henson hit a pair of free throws with 9:10 to play to end the run. Bachura followed with a 3-pointer at the 8:32 mark to end a drought of more than seven minutes between field goals for the Bulldogs.
 
McPherson was able to cut the lead to five points on a 3-pointer by Garrett Owen with 3:44 remaining, but Kameron Lindsay scored five in a row to send once again make it a double-digit game. Henson drained a 3-pointer with 2:11 left, but the Braves hit six of eight free throws in the final two minutes to help close out the game. The Bulldogs were limited to a pair of 3-pointers – one each by Henson and Bachura.
 
The Braves shot 44.2 percent (23-of-52) from the field, compared to just 37.1 percent (26-of-70) for the Bulldogs. Ottawa also had an edge at the free throw line, converting 19 of 28 opportunities. McPherson was limited to just eight attempts, hitting six. Both teams made 10 3-pointers.
 
Bachura finished with 24 points – 17 in the second half – on 9-of-21 shooting with five 3-pointers, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Henson added 18 points, seven rebounds and a pair of assists. Reed Rowell (Topeka, Kan., Butler CC) had eight points, five assists and three rebounds, while Munsen posted seven points and seven rebounds. Careino Gurley (Minneapolis, Minn., Rochester CTC) chipped in with four points, five assists, five rebounds and a pair of steals.
 
Rice led all players with 27 points on 8-of 14 shooting. He also had four 3-pointers and a game-high nine rebounds. Mitchell added 18 points and four assists, while Bullinger had 15 points, five rebounds, five blocks and three steals. Lindsay added seven points and matched Rice with nine assists.
 
"Once again, we had great effort," remarked Swartzendruber. "In basketball, you need to score. And tonight, we didn't shoot well. Hopefully, we can shoot better Saturday."

McPherson closes the season Saturday with a Senior Day matchup against Southwestern College. Prior to the game, the team's three senior players - Henson, Rowell and Ryan O'Hara (San Antonio, Texas, Cedar Valley CC) - and student assistants Carson Clay and Jared Whitten will be recognized for their contributions to the program. The Moundbuilders took the initial meeting between the schools, 93-78, in Winfield on Jan. 12. Tipoff is slated for 5 p.m. from the Sport Center. Live video and statistics can be found at macbulldogs.com/gamecast. Matt Cole and Steve Sell will be on the local radio call, which can be found over the air at 96.7 FM KBBE in the McPherson area or online worldwide at midkansasradio.com.