Photo by Jakob Komel
McPherson, Kan. – The McPherson College men's basketball team had to come from behind again on Saturday, to win in dramatic fashion over a tough Oklahoma City Stars squad.
The Bulldogs jumped out to a quick lead over the Stars, a perennial powerhouse in the Sooner Athletic Conference, fueled by their defense. Six minutes into the first half, they led the Stars 16-3, and it looked like they might cruise to an easy win.
The Stars showed why they are one of the top teams in the NAIA. They began to methodically chip away at the Bulldog lead, erasing the 13 point deficit with just under nine minutes left in the half. By the end of the half, the double digit Bulldog lead had turned into an eight point deficit for the boys in white.
In the second half, it was the Bulldogs' turn to grind and scrape their way back into the game. The Stars had their largest lead of the game 50-37 at the 17:05 mark in the half. From there the Bulldogs went on a 9-2 run to trim the lead back down to single digits. At the 5:39 mark, Jason Okoro hit a jumper to pull the Bulldogs back to within one, 65-64, and two possessions later the comeback was complete when Travon Gibson hit a huge three pointer to tie the game at 67.
After that three pointer by Gibson, the Bulldogs score eight points in a row to lead 77-69 with 1:40 left on the clock. The run was fueled by back to back three pointers by Ben Pyle and Gibson. The Stars still wouldn't fold and they made a frantic push to keep their hopes alive. The Bulldogs led by six with 40 seconds remaining when Josh Rivers fouled one of the Stars on a three point attempt. The shot was good and OCU's Jordan Keys completed the four point play to cut the Bulldog lead to just two points.
After a turnover by Pyle on the next possession the Stars tied the game with layup on the other end of the floor, setting up a dramatic finish. Gibson faked a three pointer and got his man up in the air. He drove to the basket and put up a floater that hit off the back iron. Pyle grabbed the rebound but was tied up by a Star defender. Fortunately the possession arrow favored the Bulldogs. With six seconds remaining, the Bulldogs called timeout and drew up a play.
On the inbounds, Rivers passed the ball to Pyle in the far corner. Harassed by two defenders, Pyle split the double team, dribbled to his right, got separation from the defenders with a step back move and launched a three pointer that hit nothing but nylon as it went through the hoop giving the Bulldogs a 83-80 lead with 2.6 seconds remaining.
On the ensuing inbounds play, the Stars coughed the ball up and Pyle was there to make the steal to seal the win. Pyle, the man of the hour, finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 blocks, and 1 steal.
Key Statistic
Turnovers were the key to Saturday's win. The Bulldog defense forced the Stars into 16 miscues while the offence limited their own turnovers to just 8 on the night.
 By the Numbers
The Bulldogs shot 37% from the floor, and 30% from behind the arc.
Four Bulldogs scored in double figures.
The Bulldog bench contributed 24 points to the scoring effort.
The Stars outscored the Bulldogs in the paint 50-41, but the Bulldogs hit 10 threes in the game and the Stars had only 7.
Rebounds were equal at 42 per team.
Bulldog Leaders
Points: Travon Gibson (18)
Rebounds: Ben Pyle (12)
Assists: Josh Rivers, Ben Pyle (5)
Steals: Travon Gibson, Josh Rivers (2)
Blocks: Ben Pyle (5)
Coach Quote
"I'm proud of our effort tonight to keep competing. I think there is a lot that we can take out of this weekend that we need to improve on moving forward. I loved that we showed some toughness and the ability to make plays when we needed them. Tonight obviously Ben Pyle made a huge shot to win the game but we also had a lot of different guys step up late in the game. Jason Okoro had some big time plays at the rim and I thought Antonio Watson gave us some huge minutes off the bench as a freshman. We will continue to improve and I look forward to getting back to practice on Monday." – Coach Eskildsen
 Next Up
 The Bulldogs will be back in action on Wednesday when they head out on the road for the first time this season. They will be in Overland Park, Kansas at 7:00 pm taking on Kansas Christian College.   Â
