Hillsboro, Kan. – The McPherson College men's basketball team was hoping to spoil their opponents' Senior Night for the second game in a row when they traveled to play Tabor College on Saturday night.
Coming off a win over Sterling College on their Senior Night, last Wednesday, the Bulldogs were hoping for a duplicate performance against the Bluejays. Things looked promising for the Bulldogs in the opening half. They went back and forth with Tabor and at the end of the half it was a one point game with the Bluejays leading 36-35.
After the intermission, things began unravelling for the Bulldog offense. They stayed with in a possession or two of the Bluejays for the first eight to ten minutes of the second half, but then they began coming away with more empty possessions on the offensive end which seemed to affect their defensive intensity.
The Bluejays gained the momentum, and pushed the lead out to double digits just after the midway point of the second half. The Bulldogs never got back on track and in the end it was an 18 point win for the Bluejays, 79-61.
Key Statistic
The Bluejays dominated the Bulldogs inside, out-scoring the Bulldogs 46-24 in the paint.
By the Numbers
The Bulldogs had a rough night shooting making 21 of 63 attempts (33%).
From beyond the arc they hit on 6 of 22 tries (27%)
From the free throw line they were 62%, making 13 of 21 attempts.
Two Bulldogs scored in double figures, led by Jason Okoro with 19.
The Bulldogs won the turnover battle 8 to 13, but got killed on the glass 52-35. Bulldog Leaders
Points: Jason Okoro (19)
Rebounds: Ja'Quan Chestnut (14)
Assists: Jason Okoro (4)
Steals: Jason Okoro (3)
Blocks: Ja'Quan Chestnut (2)
Coach's Quote
"Tough night for us. We really struggled to shoot the ball in the second half. I thought we let that effect our defense. Give Tabor credit they knocked down shots and took us out of our rhythm on the offensive end. We need to have short memories now and bunce back on Tuesday in the first round of the tournament." – Coach Eskildsen
Next Up
The Bulldogs finish the regular season at 17-13 overall, and 12-12 in KCAC play. They will be the 7th seed in the upcoming KCAC tournament which opens up next Tuesday. The Bulldogs will host the York College Panthers at 7:00 pm at the Sport Center.
