Drew Brunecz
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In a game that the Bulldogs led by big at one point, they couldn't hold off the Builders, as they lost 91-87 to move to 6-4 overall on the season and 3-3 in KCAC play.
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The first half was a good one for McPherson, it seemed as if they just could not miss. They led by 15 at one point, and led by 12 at the end of the half 50-38. All of their shots seemed to fall in the opening half. They shot 20/35, good for 35% shooting from the floor, and were 7 of 12 from behind the 3 point arc.
Chamaje Barideaux (So. New Iberia, La.), scored 19 of his 30 total points in the first half, which helped the Bulldogs to their big lead.
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Unfortunately, the second half was not as generous to McPherson. The same shots that fell in the first half were not falling for them in the second, and they saw their lead slowly slip away until Southwestern led for the first time with 9:36 left in the game. Also hurting their cause was the fact that Southwestern's best player, Cameron Hunt, started getting hot in the second half. He had 24 points in the half, and finished the game with 41.
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After the Builders clawed their way back and took the lead, It was back and forth for awhile, until the Builders started to pull away with under 4 minutes remaining in regulation. The Bulldogs made it interesting towards the end of the game, but they just could not completely close the gap.
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Barideaux was the leading scorer with 30.
Lual Magot (Jr. Tucson, Ariz.)was once again great off the bench, scoring nine points of his own, and gathering a team-high six rebounds.
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"Today was a great college basketball game," said Bulldog head coach
Tim Swartzendruber. "Unfortunately we weren't able to get the win. Southwestern is good. Cameron Hunt is a phenomenal player. We proved we can play with the top teams in the conference. Now we need to bounce back against York Wednesday."
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The Bulldogs will look to bounce back as they play York College, still looking for their first KCAC win at home, next Wednesday, at 8:00 PM.
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