McPHERSON, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) ---
Aaron Bachura (Wilsey, Kan., Council Grove HS) scored 19 points to lead four McPherson College men's basketball players in double figures, but the Bulldogs could not keep pace with No. 21 Tabor College in the second half as the Bluejays scored a 79-68 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) victory Thursday night at the Sport Center.
Spurred by three baskets from
Grant Raleigh (Hesston, Kan., Hesston HS), McPherson (11-14, 5-12 KCAC) jumped out to a 12-7 lead less than six minutes in. Tabor (18-7, 15-2 KCAC) responded with eight straight points to lead 15-12 before
DeAndre Henson (Aberdeen, Md., Cloud County CC) stopped the run with a pair of free throws as the midway mark of the opening half approached.
After trading baskets on the next two possessions, the Bluejays went on a 10-0 run to build the lead to 11 points with 3:53 remaining. Bachura countered with a personal 5-0 run and
Careino Gurley (Minneapolis, Minn., Rochester CTC) added a second-chance layup to cut the deficit to four at 27-23 with 2:11 left, but the Bulldogs could get no closer. Tabor scored on baskets from Julian Winton and Tullio Parry in the final 90 seconds to make it an eight-point game. A basket by
Reed Rowell (Topeka, Kan., Butler CC) with three seconds left softened the blow a little, leaving McPherson with a six-point deficit at the break.
McPherson would make small runs through much of the early portion of the second half as the Tabor lead would fluctuate between six and 10 points with a Bachura 3-pointer with 12:59 to play drawing the Bulldogs to within six at 49-43. The Bluejays followed with 13 straight points - including eight from Winton - to build the lead to 19. McPherson would be kept scoreless for nearly five minutes, missing seven straight shots - including four 3-pointers - before Henson hit a trey with 8:11 left to make it 62-46.
Tabor would continue to apply pressure, scoring eight of the next 10 points to make it a 22-point game after Jonathan Gibson sank a free throw to complete an and-one opportunity with 5:55 to play.
The Bulldogs finished the game on a 20-9 run, slicing the deficit in half as the Bluejays eventually cleared their bench. Bachura had seven points during that stretch, while Henson added six.
Tabor shot over 50 percent from the field in each half, including 56.3 percent (18-of-32) in the second half, to finish at 54.2 percent (32-of-59) overall. The Bluejays also hit six of 18 3-pointers and were 9-of-12 at the line.
After a sluggish first half where McPherson shot just 29.7 percent (11-of-37) from the field, the Bulldogs recovered to shoot nearly 50 percent in the second half (16-of-33; 48.5 percent) and finished the game at 38.6 percent. McPherson also connected on just four of 22 3-point attempts - three from Bachura - and were 10-of-15 at the line.
McPherson won the turnover battle, 18-10, but lost the war on the boards by a 43-33 margin.
Only six of the 10 Bulldogs who saw time on the court found their way into the scoring column. Four, though, ended up in double figures led by Bachura with 19 points on 8-of-18 shooting. He was also 3-of-9 from behind the arc, pulled down four rebounds and had an assist. Henson added 16 points. While just 4-of-15 from the field, Henson did connect on seven of nine free throws. He also added a team-high eight rebounds. Rowell had 14 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals while shooting 6-of-8 from the field. Raleigh pitched in with 11 points and Gurley had six points, four rebounds and five assists.
Thomas Butler (Key West, Fla., Vermilion CC) - the current KCAC Defensive Player of the Week - was limited to just one first-half layup for two points to account for all of McPherson's bench points. He also had four rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Winton scored a game-high 20 points with four 3-pointers to lead Tabor. Lance Carter had 15 points, six rebounds, six assists and a steal, while Parry recorded a double-double with 11 points, 15 rebounds and three assists. Davaghndre Jones was 4-of-4 from the field to finish with 10 points.
The loss drops McPherson into a three-way tie with Bethel (11-14, 5-12 KCAC) and Kansas Wesleyan (9-15, 5-12 KCAC) for ninth place in the KCAC standings, a game and a half behind Oklahoma Wesleyan (10-13, 7-9 KCAC). The Eagles currently have a game in hand over their pursuers as they have yet to make up their Jan. 14 game against Friends.
For McPherson, a trip to Wichita is on tap for Saturday evening to face the aforementioned Falcons (14-10, 10-6 KCAC). Friends currently sits fourth in the KCAC and will be looking to take a big step towards hosting a KCAC quarterfinal game with a win. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. from the Garvey Center. The Falcons won the first meeting between the schools, 92-82, on Dec. 10 in McPherson. Live video and stats can be found at
macbulldogs.com/gamecast. Matt Cole and Steve Sell will have the radio call, which can be found on 96.7 FM KBBE in the McPherson area or online at
midkansasradio.com.
