Ottawa, Kan. – The McPherson College men's basketball team suffered back to back losses on Wednesday night for just the second time this season. After falling to OKWU at home last Saturday, the Bulldogs went on the road on Wednesday, and were defeated by the Ottawa University Braves 89-68.
Wednesday's game was a tale of two halves. In the first half, the Bulldogs played well on both ends of the floor. They led the Braves by as many as nine points in the opening half, but Ottawa got things rolling late in the half and tied the game at 36 as the teams headed into the locker room at halftime.
After the intermission, things went south for the Bulldogs quickly. The Braves came out and opened with a 14-4 run to take a 10 point lead, 50-40 and the Bulldogs never recovered. The Braves couldn't miss, and the Bulldogs struggled to take care of the ball, a recipe for disaster. The Ottawa lead hovered around the 9 or 10 point mark for a good portion of the second half, but with about five minutes left the Braves stretched it out to 15. As time ran out, the deficit for the Bulldogs had grown to 19 points.
Despite the loss, the highlight of the night was Josh Rivers eclipsing the 1000 point mark for his career.
Key Statistic
In the second half of the season, the Bulldogs have done a good job of taking care of the ball. However, against the Braves they coughed it up 16 times.
By the Numbers
The Bulldogs made 25 of 55 shots from the floor (45%), and were 6 of 17 (35%) from beyond the three point arc.
They struggled from the free throw line, making just 12 of 18 attempts (67%).
Three Bulldogs scored in double figures, led by Ja'Quan Chestnut, who finished with 23.
The Bulldogs lost the turnover battle 16-12, and were out-rebounded by the Braves 36-29.
Bulldog Leaders
Points: Ja'Quan Chestnut (23)
Rebounds: Ja'Quan Chestnut (8)
Assists: Josh Rivers (4)
Steals: Ja'Quan Chestnut (2)
Blocks: Jason Okoro (1)
Next Up
The loss drops the Bulldogs to 16-11 overall, and 11-10 in conference games. They will be back at home on Saturday, squaring off against the Southwestern College Moundbuilders at 5:00 pm. In between the women's and men's games, the Bulldogs will be honoring their six seniors.
