Photo by Jakob Komel
McPherson, Kan. – The McPherson College men's basketball team rallied from nine points down at the halftime intermission to defeat the Southwestern College Moundbuilders 75-58.
The Bulldogs couldn't throw it in the ocean in the first half, and wound up trailing the Builders at the break 36-27.
In the second half, they tightened up the screws defensively, and shots that weren't falling in the first half, started going in, in the second.
The Bulldogs outscored the Builders by 48-22 in the second half to complete a 27 point swing and win by 18.
Key Statistic
Defense was the key. The Bulldogs locked up the Builders in the second half, holding them to just 22 points.
By the Numbers
The Bulldogs wound up shooting 42% from the field for the game, but were 53% in the second half.
They finished with 11 made three pointers, seven of them dropping in the final 20 minutes of action.
MC won the battle of the boards 39 to 35, and forced Southwestern in to 16 turnovers, while only committing 10 of their own on their offensive half of the floor.
Freshman Jerome Washington (Andover, Kan.) had a career high 13 points.
Bulldog Leaders
Points: Fred Watts (16)
Rebounds: Fred Watts, Rock Hardison (8)
Assists: Kemryn Jenkins (4)
Steals: Josh Rivers (4)
Blocks: Gage Maccoy, Myles McCrary (1)
Coach Quote
"I'm so proud of how our group responded to adversity tonight. We struggled to score in the first half but stuck to the game plan. Our defensive effort in the second half was outstanding. Fred Watts made senior winning plays throughout the game. Jerome Washington came in and made some big shots down the strecth as well. Toughness wins, and I thought each of our guys showed a lot toughness tonight. Our crowd was also huge tonight! It was great to have the support."
 Next Up
 With the win, the Bulldogs move to 16-8 overall, and 14-8 in the KCAC. More importantly they remain in 3rd place in the KCAC standings, with one remaining regular season game on the schedule. They will wrap up the regular season on Saturday when they host the Ottawa University Braves at the Sport Center for Senior Day. Tip-off is slated for 2:00 pm.
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