Emporia, Kan. – The McPherson College wrapped up the first semester, on the road in an exhibition matchup with NCAA Division II Emporia State University. The Bulldogs have been bitten by the injury lately, and only had 11 healthy bodies to suit up against the Hornets. Twenty-four hours earlier, Mac got a momentum boost to their season by going on the road and defeating Haskell Indian Nations University. Wednesday's matchup at Emporia, although an exhibition, was still an opportunity to build on the momentum gained from Tuesday's game at Haskell, heading into the holiday break.
In the opening minutes of the first half, the Hornets jumped out to a quick lead, and at the first media timeout the lead had ballooned out to double digits. By the end of the half, the Hornet lead was at 16, 50-34. The Bulldogs shot 48% from the floor in the 1
st twenty minutes of action, but were just 1 of 7 from behind the three point arc. Still, despite making just one three pointer, the Bulldogs were still within striking distance of the Hornets to start the second half.
Early in the second half, the Hornets extended their lead to 23, 72-49. After a Bulldog timeout, the momentum of the game began to shift in favor of the Bulldogs. The Mac men found their groove, especially from behind the three point line. They knocked down 5 of 7 treys and in doing so, they chipped away at the Hornet lead. Over the next few minutes, the Bulldogs went on a 19-8 run, and at the under at timeout, they had cut the lead to 12, 80-68.
Down the stretch, the Bulldogs continued to apply pressure to the home team. With 2:32 remaining in regulation, the Bulldogs had the Hornet lead trimmed down to single digits, 83-75. Unfortunately they were unable to draw any closer, and despite outscoring the Hornets 51-43 in the second half, it wasn't enough to overcome the 16 point halftime deficit. The Hornets were able to make their free throws in the final minutes, and escaped with an 8 point victory, 93-85.
At times this season, points have been hard to come by for the Bulldog men. That was not the case on Wednesday night against ESU. Eight of the nine Bulldogs to make it into the game, found their way into the scoring column, and four of the eight, scored in double figures. Mac was led in scoring by
Josh Rivers (Fr. Midwest City, Okla.) and
Grant Owens (Fr. Buhler, Kan.), who both poured in 16 points. They were joined in double figures by
Jeffrey Oxford (So. Claremore, Okla.), and
Lual Magot (Jr. Tucson, Ariz.), who were right behind the freshmen with 15 points each.
"At the first media timeout we were down 18-6 but from there we outscored them the rest of the way," commented Coach Swartzendruber. He added, "Again we were missing five varsity players, but our young guys stepped up and played well. We are ready for a break but very excited for the second half of the season."
The Bulldogs finish the first half of the season at 7-8 overall. They will be back in action on Sunday December 30
th, in another exhibition game, this time at Fort Hays State University. Tipoff between the Tigers and Bulldogs is slated for 4:00 pm in Hays, Kan.
MC (85) – Rivers (16), Owens (16), Oxford (15), Magot (15), Watts (7), Hightower (7), Ellison (6), Barideaux (3).
