Bartlesville, Okla. – It was another tough outing for the McPherson College men's basketball team. They suffered their fourth straight loss, leveling their overall record at 4-4 and dropping them to 2-4 in KCAC play. On Saturday it was the Oklahoma Wesleyan University Eagles who outlasted the Bulldogs 79-71.
The Bulldogs played well in the first half, and heading into the break, had a slim four point lead, 34-30 over the home team. In the early going of the second frame, the Bulldogs extended their lead to nine points 44-35 with 15:29 left to play.
The Eagles called timeout, and after the break, came out firing. The Bulldogs went cold from the outside while the Eagles caught fire from behind the arc. They retook the lead 54-51 at the 11:43 mark, and never surrendered it the rest of the way.
Key Statistic
Three point shooting. The Eagles shot 45% making 9 of 20 attempts, while the Bulldogs were 9 of 32 for 28%.
By the Numbers
Jason Okoro (So. Lagos, Nigeria) led the Bulldogs in scoring for the second game in a row, this time with 13 points.
Ja'Quan Chestnut (Jr. Myrtle Beach, S.C.), had his best performance in a Bulldog uniform to date. Against the Eagles he had 12 points and 8 rebounds.
The Bulldogs shot 39% from the floor making 22 of 57 shots.
Over half of the Bulldogs' total shots were from outside the three point arc.
The Bulldogs won the turnover battle 9 to 12, but were outrebounded by the Eagles 39 to 35.
Bulldog Leaders
Points: Jason Okoro (13)
Rebounds: Ja'Quan Chestnut (8)
Assists: Jason Okoro (5)
Steals: Josh Rivers (3)
Blocks: Rock Hardison (1)
Coach Quote
"I once again thought our effort was excellent especially on the defensive end. We struggled to shoot the ball with consistency. It sounds like a broken record but if we keep playing as hard as we are good things will happen. We finish out the semester Monday at Ottawa. We knew having 5 straight road games would challenge us and will only make us tougher. I'm excited to see how we respond on Monday."
Next Up
It doesn't get any easier for the Bulldogs. They will wrap up 2020 with another tough road game on Monday, this time against the Ottawa University Braves. The Bulldogs and Braves are set to tip-off at 7:00 pm.
