SALINA, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- The McPherson College men's basketball team jumped out to a 17-point lead early in the second half but could not hold on as Kansas Wesleyan University closed the game on a 23-4 run to post a 65-55 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) victory Wednesday night at Mabee Arena.
The teams traded the lead early in the first half with McPherson (3-14, 0-9 KCAC) finally breaking through just past the midway point of the period. Trailing 20-17 with 8:53 to play after KWU's AJ Range drained a pair of free throws, the Bulldogs finished the half on an 18-6 run to lead 35-26 at the break.
McPherson continued to apply pressure early in the second half, scoring 10 of the first 12 points of the frame to build the lead to 17 at 45-28 on an
Aaron Bachura (Wilsey, Kan., Council Grove HS) 3-pointer with 17:56 to play.
From there, the Bulldogs went cold from the field, going 4-of-18 overall and 0-of-9 from behind the arc. McPherson also struggled getting to the line, going just 2-for-5 for the entire contest.
Kansas Wesleyan (8-7, 6-3 KCAC) outscored McPherson, 37-10, down the stretch - including 23 of the final 27 points, capitalizing on 12 Bulldog turnovers while shooting 15-of-31 from the field in the second half. Jamon Fulton was particularly effective, using a mix of runners and floaters in the lane to score 17 of his game-high 22 in the final 20 minutes.
After shooting 14-of-27 (51.9 percent) overall and 7-of-9 (77.8 percent) from behind the arc in the first half, the Bulldogs' shooting percentages fell off sharply in the second half. McPherson finished the game shooting 44.0 percent (22-of-50) from the field and 45.0 percent (9-of-20) from long range.
Grant Raleigh (Hesston, Kan., Hesston HS) and
Stefan Krsmanovic (Gornji, Milanovac, Serbia, Fort Hays State University) tied for team-high honors with 10 points apiece. The pair also had three boards each while Raleigh tied for team-high honors with four assists.
Frederick Watts (Houston, Texas, Channelview HS) added eight points, five rebounds, three steals and two blocks, while
Garrett Owen (Woodward, Okla., Woodward HS) had five points, four assists and three rebounds. Bachura and
Taylor Ellison (Tulsa, Okla., Memorial HS) each drained a pair of 3-pointers to finish with six points each.
The Coyotes finished 23-of-54 overall with four 3-pointers and were 15-of-19 at the line. KWU also held a slight 32-28 edge on the boards.
Fulton finished 7-of-12 from the field with a pair of 3-pointers and a 6-of-8 effort at the line to reach his game-high 22. He also had three assists. Ernest Carter added seven points, 11 rebounds, three assists and a block, while Raul Neri had eight points.
"It's hard to know what to say," said head coach
Tim Swartzendruber. "We struggle at times with our mental toughness. We had the lead and were playing well. However, when the shots stopped falling, we also quit defending. Give KWU credit. They never gave up."
McPherson returns to the Sport Center on Saturday when Bethel College makes the short trip up Interstate 135 from North Newton. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. The Threshers (5-11, 3-6 KCAC) defeated York College, 84-74, in North Newton on Wednesday evening.
