Photo by Jakob Komel
Lindsborg, Kan. – The McPherson College men's basketball team had a tough night shooting the ball from deep on Saturday evening, leading to a five point loss, 71-65, on the road against the Bethany College Swedes.
The Swedes capitalized on the Bulldogs' shooting woes to take a seven point lead at the break, 34-27. Early in the second half, the struggles continued, and the Swedes' lead ballooned out to 18 points, 53-35, with 13:48 remaining in the game.
At that point, the Bulldogs dug in and began clawing their way back into the game. At the 7:02 mark, the Bulldogs were in the midst of a 19-3 run that had them back to within two points of the Swedes 56-54.
Unfortunately they were unable to get over the hump, and the Swedes gathered themselves, and pushed the lead back out to six points. The Bulldogs would get it back down to four points, one more time, but they would get no closer as the Swedes were able to hold the Bulldogs off from the free throw line down the stretch.
Key Statistic
The Bulldogs launched 29 three pointers, but splashed only 7 of them. Â
By the Numbers
The Bulldogs shot 36% from the floor for the game, but only 24% from deep. Â
Four Bulldogs scored in double figures.
The Bulldogs won the turnover battle 8-13, but were beaten on the boards 46-41.
Bulldog Leaders
Points: Ben Pyle (15)
Rebounds: Ja'Quan Chestnut(7)
Assists: Ben Pyle (4)
Steals: Ben Pyle (4)
Blocks: Ben Pyle, Rock Hardison (1)
Coach Quote
"I was proud of the effort we showed to battle back in the second half tonight. We need to have better starts to games on the road. We will continue to work. This will be a big week for us with three games coming up. I'm excited to see what our response will be." – Coach Eskildsen
Next Up
The Bulldogs, now 6-3 on the season and 2-2 in KCAC play, will get another big test in less than 48 hours when they host the defending KCAC champions, the Bethel College Threshers at the Sport Center on Monday evening at 8:00 pm. Â Â
