Photo by Junior Silva
McPherson, Kan. – Playing their fourth game in seven days, the Bulldogs rallied from a five point halftime deficit to defeat the Tabor College Bluejays, at home, 78-73.
The Bulldogs led the Bluejays by six early on in the opening half, but Tabor went on a 15 to 3 run to take a six point lead of their own, 22-16, at the midway point of the period. The Bulldogs trimmed the lead down to two points at a couple of points down the stretch, but were unable to get over the hump and retake the lead. They had to settle for going into the locker room at halftime down 37-32.
At the start of the second half, the Bulldogs opened with a 10 to 1 run to take a four point lead, just four minutes into the period. Tabor got it back to within one point a minute later, but the Bulldogs never relinquished the lead, the rest of the way.
The Bulldogs led by as many as 10 points with 9:37 left in the game, but they couldn't seem to put the Bluejays away. The Bulldog lead was eight points with 37 ticks on the clock when they inexplicably fouled a Bluejay player while in the act of shooting a three pointer. He made all three free throws to cut the lead to five with 29 seconds to play.
The Bulldogs turned the ball over on their next possession which led to a layup for Tabor plus a foul. After the free throw, the lead was suddenly down to one possession. On the inbound, Gage Maccoy threw a full court pass that was just out of the reach of Jason Okoro. Okoro made a great play as the ball was going out of bounds to save it to Christian Aguillard. Aguillard was fouled and he made both free throws to put the Bulldogs back up four, essentially icing the game.
The Bluejays missed a three pointer, and Okoro rebounded the ball. He was fouled and went to the free throw line. He split a pair of free throws to give the Bulldogs the five point win.
Key Statistic
The Bulldogs forced the Bluejays into 16 miscues which they turned into 10 points on the other end of the floor. Â
By the Numbers
It was a tough shooting night for the Bulldogs. They made 25 of 69 attempts from the floor (36%), and were just 2 of 15 from behind the three point arc (13%).
They made up for their poor shooting from the floor by going 26 of 35 from the charity stripe, (78%).
Four Bulldogs scored in double figures, paced by Josh Rivers who led all scorers in the game with 22 points. Ja'Quan Chestnut had another double double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
The Bulldogs won the turnover battle 12-16 times, and out-rebounded the Bluejays 44 to 31.
Bulldog Leaders
Points: Josh Rivers (22)
Rebounds: Ja'Quan Chestnut (10)
Assists: Gage Maccoy, Christian Aguillard (3)
Steals: Josh Rivers (3)
Blocks: Gage Maccoy (2)
Coaches Quote:
"I thought we showed a lot of toughness tonight. Our effort both on the defensive end and on the offensive glass was great. Everyone who stepped on the floor contributed to this win." – Coach Eskildsen
Next Up
With the win, the Bulldogs move to 11-7 overall, and back to .500 in KCAC play at 6-6. They will get a tough test on Saturday when they host the #19 Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes at 7:00 pm at the Sport Center.
