Photo by Jakob Komel
Article by Quincy Williams
McPherson, Kan. - The McPherson men's basketball team lost to the Ottawa Braves Saturday night 76-74. The loss moves the Bulldogs to 20-10 on the season and 15-9 in KCAC play.
The Bulldogs' Seniors Grant Munsen (Manhattan, Kan.), Lual Magot (Tucson, Ariz.), Dorian Paige (Tucson, Ariz.), Stefan Krsmanovic (Milanovac, Serbia), and Delvon Hightower (Bakersfield, Calif.) were honored before the game.
The Bulldogs played well in the first half, the Braves just played better. The Bulldogs got key contributions in the first half from Lual Magot and Dorian Paige. The Braves shot 40% from the field while the Bulldogs shot 31%. The 'Dogs only knocked down one three in the first half. They trailed by 7, 28-35 at halftime.
The Bulldogs came out with better rhythm in the second half. Magot, Fred Watts (JR. Channelview, Texas), and Travon Shelvin (So. Pearland, Texas) all had excellent second halves. Shelvin hit 4 threes in the second half. He spearheaded the Bulldogs 7/14 effort from three-point land in the second half.
The second half, however, belonged to Braves point-guard Darryl Bowie. Bowie finished with 26 points and scored a bevy of buckets in the last few minutes of the game. The Bulldogs trailed by two with 15 seconds left but were unable to get a shot off.
"I'm proud of the fight that our guys showed against a very good Ottawa team," said Bulldog head coach T.J. Eskildsen. "I wish we could have gotten a win for our seniors but I am very proud of those guys. Now we need to get ready for the conference tournament next week."
 The Bulldogs locked up a spot in the KCAC tournament next week, with the loss to Ottawa, they fall to the #5 seed, and will go on the road next Thursday to take on the 4th seeded Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes. The Bulldogs and Coyotes split the regular season contests, each winning on their home floor. Game time Thursday has yet to be determined.
