Photo by Paul Choi
McPherson, Kan. – To make a run in the KCAC, teams have to win on their home floor, and try and steal a few games on the road. On Monday night, the McPherson College men's basketball team squared off against the York College Panthers in the Sport Center. Coming into the game, the Bulldogs were a perfect 3-0 in home KCAC games, and 1-5 on the road.
They came out red hot against the Panthers, and jumped out to a 15-2 lead with 12:22 remaining in the first half. By the end of the half, the lead was up to 15 points, 44-49.
During the break, York, who are a freakishly athletic team at every position, got some things figured out. They were able to use their athleticism to get to the rim with some ease, and when the Bulldogs sagged off to help out on the drive, the Panthers did a nice job of finding the open shooter on the perimeter for wide open three pointers.
The Bulldogs led by as many as 20 points in the second half, but the Panthers were able to claw their way all the way back, and actually took the lead, 74-72 with 3:42 left on the clock. Trailing by two with 15 seconds left, the Panthers were forced to foul. They sent Josh Rivers (Jr. Midwest City, Okla.) to the line, but he missed both free throws to give the Panthers a chance to tie or win the game on their last possession.
The Bulldogs played stout defense in the final 15 seconds, forcing the Panthers to take a tough three pointer. It was off the mark, and Fred Watts (Sr. Channelview, Texas) secured the biggest rebound of the night. He was fouled with 0.2 seconds on the clock and went to the line for a pair of free throws. He missed the first, but made the second putting the Bulldogs up three points, 83-80, which would be the final score.
Key Statistic
The Bulldogs went to the free throw line 34 times, making 26 of those attempts. Their opponents made only 19 trips to the charity stripe, making 16.
By the Numbers
The Bulldog offense shot 42% from the floor, and 38% from behind the three point arc.
They won the rebounding battle 35 to 30 and had three fewer turnovers than the Panthers, who had 18.
The Panthers outscored the Bulldogs in the paint 56-51, but the Bulldogs had 21 points off turnovers to 19 for York.
Bulldog Leaders
Points: Fred Watts (26)
Rebounds: Fred Watts (9)
Assists: Josh Rivers (5)
Steals: Fred Watts (3)
Blocks: None
Coach Quote
"Sometimes you need to win games ugly. I thought York really dictated the flow of the game in the second half. They got rolling and we struggled to get stops. You have to give them a lot of credit. Â I was proud of our effort late, to make winning plays even when the momentum wasn't on our side. I thought Fred Watts was huge late and Kemryn Jenkins made a nice driving and 1 layup to give us the lead again. Having to battle through a win like that hopefully will be good for us as the season progresses."
 Next Up
The Bulldogs, who are now 5-5 in the KCAC, will be back on the hardwood again Wednesday when they travel up to Kansas City for 6:00 pm match-up with the Avila University Eagles.
