McPHERSON, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- The McPherson College men's basketball team shot a season-best 53.8 percent from the field en route to a 78-71 victory over Sterling College in Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) play Saturday night at the Sport Center.
The Bulldogs (6-18, 3-13 KCAC) led virtually from start to finish, conceding only a pair of small leads in the game's first five minutes. Trailing 7-5 after a basket by the Warriors' JaMiah Windom-Haynes at the 16:48 mark, McPherson rallied for six straight points on a pair of inside baskets by
Frederick Watts (Houston, Texas, Channelview HS) and another by
Grant Munsen (Manhattan, Kan., Manhattan HS) to take an 11-7 lead. The Bulldogs eventually built the lead to 15 points aided by a couple of 3-pointers from
Chamaje Barideaux (New Iberia, La., New Iberia Senior HS) and capped by a pair of big plays by
Lual Magot (Tucson, Ariz., Tohono O'odham CC). First, Magot brought the house down with a thunderous two-handed jam, then he stepped back and drained his first 3-pointer as a Bulldog to put McPherson up 34-19 with 7:45 to play in the half.
Sterling (7-16, 5-11 KCAC) rallied with a 14-5 run capped by a basket by Sean Nordberg basket to trim the McPherson lead to just six with 1:31 remaining. Magot added two more baskets in the final minute, outscoring the Warriors, 4-3, by himself to give the Bulldogs a 43-36 lead headed to the break.
The visitors continued to chip away at the McPherson advantage as the second half began, getting within two at 48-46 on a Kody Crosby 3-pointer at the 16:16 mark. The Bulldogs followed with 12 of the next 14 points to lead 60-48 with 10:52 left in the game. McPherson maintained a double-digit lead as late as the 6:30 mark as Sterling used an 8-0 run to cut a 12-point advantage to just four at 64-60 with 5:45 remaining. A basket by Keyshawn McMahon made it a three-point game with less than three minutes to play, but the Bulldogs outscored the Warriors, 9-5, down the stretch to close out the game. McPherson got baskets from Watts and Munsen and sank five of six free throw attempts to ice the game.
The Bulldogs went 28-of-52 from the field overall, including 17-of-29 (58.6 percent) in the first half. McPherson was equally as sharp from long distance, finishing the game 9-of-17 (52.9 percent) from behind the arc after a 7-of-12 effort in the first half.
Sterling shot a respectable 44.8 percent (26-of-58) from the field but were just 23.1 percent (6-of-26) from 3-point range after entering the game averaging 9.14 3-pointers and shooting 34.5 percent as a team from behind the arc. Both teams were 13-of-19 at the charity stripe.
Aaron Bachura (Wilsey, Kan., Council Grove HS) tied for game-high honors with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting with five 3-pointers, six assists and four rebounds. Now with 1,194 career points, he moved past Chris Crook (1,183 points) into 15th place on McPherson's all-time scoring chart. Next on the list is Brian Hill in 14th place with 1,228 points.
Magot had perhaps his best game as a Bulldog so far, scoring a MC career-high 14 points after going a perfect 6-of-6 from the field with a pair of dunks. He also had seven rebounds. Watts added 11 points and Munsen chipped in with eight points and a game-high-tying nine rebounds before fouling out late.
Jeffrey Oxford (Claremore, Okla., Claremore HS) and
Louis Parker III (Midwest City, Okla., Midwest City HS) also had eight points apiece with Oxford also pulling down five boards.
Garrett Owen (Woodward, Okla., Woodward HS) was held in check in the scoring column with just three points but added five assists, a steal and a blocked shot. Barideaux finished with six points and a pair of assists, while
Taylor Ellison (Tulsa, Okla., Memorial HS) rounded out the scoring with a 3-pointer late in the first half.
Crosby matched Bachura with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting and three 3-pointers to lead the Warriors. He also pulled down seven rebounds. Windom-Haynes added 13 points and nine boards, while McMahon had 11 points and eight assists. Leye Oyatayo chipped in with nine points off the bench.
Bachura Recognized as Pat Noyes Scholarship Recipient
Prior to the game, Bachura was recognized as the 2018 recipient of the Pat Noyes Memorial Scholarship. Noyes was a member of the McPherson College basketball program from 1991-93 before becoming involved with the Oklahoma State University men's basketball program. Saturday marked the 17th anniversary of Noyes' passing, along with nine others affiliated with the OSU men's basketball program, in a plane crash near Byers, Colorado, following a game at the University of Colorado. At the time of the crash, he was serving as the program's director of basketball operations.
"This is a special night for our program and I'm thrilled we could get the win," said head coach
Tim Swartzendruber. "The Noyes family supports this team and school extremely well. We are continuing to play well and that is fun to watch. It was good to see Lual really display the athletic ability he has - something we feel will be important down the stretch. We are looking forward to hosting Friends on Wednesday."
McPherson, which has won two of its last four games and gone to overtime in the other two, entertains Friends University Wednesday night in another KCAC matchup. The Bulldogs are no longer alone at the bottom of the table, having risen to join Bethany at 3-13. A KCAC Tournament berth is still mathematically possible, but McPherson would likely need to run the table to make the eight-team field. The Falcons (13-10, 11-5 KCAC) have won five of six, including their last three, and are coming off a 76-64 win at Tabor Saturday night. Friends won the initial meeting between the clubs, 81-72, on Dec. 6 in Wichita, closing the game on a 14-5 run after being tied at 67 with under three minutes to play. Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. from the Sport Center.
