Hillsboro, Kan. – The McPherson College men's basketball team may be the hottest team in the KCAC right now. On Wednesday night they pushed their current winning streak to 9 games with a 85-69 win on the road at Tabor College.
The game was tight through the first 15 minutes of the opening half. With just under 5 minutes left in the half, the Bulldogs went on a 12 to 3 run that gave them a 10 point cushion and when the clock hit zeros the lead was nine, 43-34.
Things were even again for much of the second half as well. The Bulldog lead hovered around the double digit mark, but they couldn't seem to blow the game open. Tabor closed the gap to within 7 with 8:09 left to play, but 5 unanswered points by the Bulldogs, and the lead was quickly back up to 12.
After the Bulldogs extended the lead out to 15 points, their largest of the game, the Bluejays made one last push and cut the lead back down to 9 with 3:20 left in regulation. That would be the last time the spread was in single digits. The Bulldogs closed out the game on a 13 to 6 run to make the final margin 16.
Key Statistic
The Bulldogs were 9 of 17 from behind the arc in the opening half. They finished the game 12 of 29.
By the Numbers
The Bulldogs shot north of 50% for the 5th time this season. They finished the game going 32 of 62 from the floor.
Mac dominated the glass 40 to 34, and turned 8 offensive boards into 11 second chance points.
A total of six Bulldogs scored in double figures, and Josh Rivers (Jr. Midwest City, Okla.) came up one assist shy of double figures, and had zero turnovers.
Bulldog Leaders
Points: Kemryn Jenkins (19)
Rebounds: Myles McCrary (12)
Assists: Josh Rivers (9)
Steals: Gage Maccoy, Josh Rivers (3)
Blocks: Fred Watts (1)
Coach Quote
"What a great team effort tonight. To have six guys in double figures is impressive. Josh Rivers with nine assists and zero turnovers in 30 minutes was also huge. I'm just really proud of our level of focus playing against a great Tabor team."
Next Up
With the win, the Bulldogs move to 14-5, 12-5 in KCAC play and remain in the second spot in the conference standings. One more consecutive win would tie them with the 2011-12 team that went 33-4 and made it to the NAIA National Tournament. They will get a tough test on Saturday when they take on an Oklahoma Wesleyan squad, that is currently receiving votes in the latest NAIA top 25 coaches poll. The Bulldogs and Eagles will tip-off at 3:00 pm in the Sport Center.
