Photo by Junior Silva
Salina, Kan. – The McPherson College men's basketball team went on the road for the first time in KCAC play on Saturday, making the 30 minute drive north to take on the Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes.
The Bulldogs struggled on both ends of the floor, leading to an 89-77 loss to the Coyotes. The Bulldogs' offense usually centers around the three point shot but on Saturday the shots from deep weren't falling with their normal regularity. As a team they average right around 10 made three's a game, but against the Coyote they only connected on six.
On the other end of the floor, the Bulldogs struggled to stop the Coyote offense. They finished the game shooting 52% from the floor, and 43% from behind the three point arc. Their hot shooting put the Bulldogs in a 20 point hole at the break, 52-32. After the break, the Bulldogs tried climbing out of the hole they dug for themselves in the first half. They outscored the Coyotes in the second half 45-37, but it wasn't enough to overcome the first half deficit.
Key Statistic
The Bulldogs made just 2 of 9 three pointers in the comeback attempt in the second half.
By the Numbers
The Bulldogs shot 40% from the floor for the game, and 65% from the charity stripe.
Two Bulldogs scored in double figures.
MC won the turnover battle 9-14, but were out rebounded by the Coyotes 39-31.
Bulldog Leaders
Points: Jason Okoro (23)
Rebounds: Ben Pyle (8)
Assists: Ben Pyle, Travon Gibson (3)
Steals: Four Bulldogs (1)
Blocks: Ben Pyle (2)
Coach Quote
"Tough road loss tonight. Give Kansas Wesleyan a lot of credit. I feel like they were the tougher team tonight and dictated how the game was going to be played. I need to do a better job of getting our guys ready to play on the road. I'm excited to see what our response will be. We have another very good opponent in Avila coming in on Tuesday and need to be ready to go." – Coach Eskildsen
Next Up
The Bulldogs, now 5-2 on the season and 1-1 in KCAC play. They will be back at home on Tuesday, hosting the Avila University Eagles at 7:00 pm at the Sport Center.
