Photo by Junior Silva
McPherson, Kan. – The McPherson College men's basketball team bounced back from a disappointing regular season finish on Saturday at Tabor College, with a KCAC Tournament Opening Round win at home over the York College Panthers 79-64.
Four players scored in double figures as the Bulldogs had an efficient night on the offensive end, and were locked in defensively against an athletically talented Panther squad.
The Bulldogs came out firing on all cylinders, and four and a half minutes into the game had built up a ten point lead, 12-2. At the midpoint of the first half they led by 12, 25-13, and at the 7:02 mark, they had their largest lead of the half 33-16. The Panthers hit some big shots down the stretch in the first half, trimming the Bulldog lead down to 12, 43-31 at the break.
In the second half, the Bulldogs kept their foot on the gas continuing to play exceptional basketball on both ends of the floor. The Panthers never got the deficit under double digits the entire half, while the Bulldogs' largest lead of the half was 19 on a couple of occasions. In the end, the Bulldogs rode the first half momentum to a comfortable 15 point win.
Key Statistic
The Bulldogs dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Panthers 47-30 and only allowing York three offensive boards.
By the Numbers
The Bulldogs shot well, making 29 of 66 of their attempts (44%)
From beyond the arc they hit on 8 of 22 tries (36%)
From the free throw line they were 77%, making 13 of 17 attempts.
Four Bulldogs scored in double figures, led by Jason Okoro with 23.
Turnovers were even at 9.
 Bulldog Leaders
Points: Jason Okoro (23)
Rebounds: Christian Aguillard (10)
Assists: Jason Okoro, Owen Braxmeyer (5)
Steals: Owen Braxmeyer (3)
Blocks: Josh Rivers (1)
Coach's Quote
"Really proud of our guys and their effort tonight. We had multiple guys step up and make plays. It's always great to see seniors step up in tournament play. I thought Ja'Quan Chestnut, Josh Rivers, Gage Maccoy, and Rock Hardison were all huge at different points in the game. It was also great having a big crowd to support us ok our home court. Now we have to turn our focus to a great Bethel squad on Thursday. Survive and advance." – Coach Eskildsen
Next Up
With the win, the Bulldogs are now 18-13 overall. They move into the quarterfinals, and will face Bethel College, whom they split with in the regular season, on Thursday night at 7:00 in North Newton, Kansas.
