McPHERSON, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- The McPherson College men's basketball team raced out to a 20-point halftime lead Wednesday night against county rival Bethany College but could not hold on as the invading Swedes successfully chased down the Bulldogs to force overtime, then used free throws to put the game out of reach in the extra session for a 109-100 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) victory at the Sport Center.
In a sign of what was to come between the two of them, McPherson's
Aaron Bachura (Wilsey, Kan., Council Grove HS) kicked the game off with a 3-pointer only on the game's first possession to be answered by a 3-pointer from Bethany's Tyler Larkin on the Swedes' initial chance with the ball. The Bulldogs (4-17, 1-12 KCAC) would follow with the next nine points to build a 12-3 lead less than four minutes in. After trading baskets, the Swedes (7-14, 3-10 KCAC) struck for the next seven points capped by five in a row from Larkin to get within two at 14-12 with 13:12 left in the half. From there, the Bulldogs began to heat up - going on a 23-4 run over a span of nearly eight-and-a-half minutes capped by another Bachura 3-pointer - to take a 37-16 lead with 4:47 to play. Bachura and
Taylor Ellison (Tulsa, Okla., Memorial HS) each drained a pair of threes during the stretch, while Bethany was limited to baskets from Reed Stephens and Jesse Patrick.
A Baptiste Chazelas basket and a pair of Keil Kelly free throws sliced the lead to 17 with 2:14 remaining before halftime, but McPherson outscored Bethany, 7-4, down the stretch to take a 44-24 lead into the locker rooms.
The Swedes scored the first five points of the second half and got the lead down to 14 with just under 16:00 to play, but the Bulldogs were able to counter as Ellison drained back-to-back 3-pointers to restore the 20-point advantage. Bethany continued to chip away at the McPherson advantage getting the game back to single-digits momentarily on a Stephens free throw with 8:15 to play. A 9-2 McPherson run pushed the lead back to 16 points at 72-56 with 6:27 remaining. The Swedes continued to apply pressure, though, forcing six turnovers while outscoring the Bulldogs, 19-4, over the next 3:11 to make it a one-point game on a Stephens 3-pointer. After a
Frederick Watts (Houston, Texas, Channelview HS) layup, Stephens drained another triple to complete the comeback and tie the game at 78-all with 2:28 left.
Back-to-back baskets by Bachura and
Jeffrey Oxford (Claremore, Okla., Claremore HS) gave McPherson a little breathing room, putting the Bulldogs up 84-80 with under a minute to play, but the Swedes scored five of the next six points to tie the game at 85-all with just 2.9 seconds to play. Bachura had a couple of opportunities to turn the game in McPherson's favor in the closing seconds of regulation. He missed the first of two free throws with nine seconds remaining that would have left the Bulldogs up four. Bachura also had a 3-pointer at the top of the key blocked by Thomas Hood as time expired.
McPherson took the early lead in the extra session as Bachura drained his fifth 3-pointer of the game. He later hit a pair of free throws to put the Bulldogs up 90-89 with 3:02 remaining but was immediately answered by a 3-pointer from Stephens that gave the Swedes a lead they would not relinquish. Bethany went a perfect 10-of-10 at the line down the stretch in the overtime period to put the game away.
Both teams shot just shy of 50 percent in the contest with McPherson shooting 46.7 percent (35-of-75) and Bethany shooting 48.7 percent (37-of-76). After going just 1-of-13 from behind the arc in the first half, the Swedes found their shooting stroke from long distance in the second half and overtime, making 10 of 21 3-pointers. Bethany was also 21-of-30 at the line over the final 25 minutes. McPherson hit seven 3-pointers in the first half but was limited to just three in the second half and overtime. The Bulldogs were also relatively solid from the line, going 20-of-27 overall.
After nearly posting a double-double in the first half alone with 15 points and eight rebounds, Bachura finished with 30 points and 10 boards. He also had three assists, a blocked shot and a steal while shooting 9-of-18 from the field with five 3-pointers. Watts also had a double-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.
Garrett Owen (Woodward, Okla., Woodward HS) and Oxford added 16 points apiece, Ellison had 14 behind a 4-of-6 effort from behind the arc, and
Lual Magot (Tucson, Ariz., Tohono O'odham CC) just missed double figures with nine points off the bench.
Larkin finished with a game-high 31 points on 11-of-18 shooting. He also had six rebounds, five assists, four steals and a blocked shot. Stephens added 23 points after going 8-of-14 off the bench with six 3-pointers. Isiah Saenz added 13 points, five assists and four steals, while Hood posted a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double.
The Bulldogs are in the midst of a stretch where they play four out of five at home. Up next is a Saturday night matchup with Tabor College (9-10, 8-5 KCAC) at the Sport Center. The Bluejays, who are mired in a five-way tie for second place in the league standings, were edged by York, 94-91, Wednesday night in Hillsboro. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.
