JOLIET, Ill. — The McPherson College Bulldogs fell in their final game of the New Year's Classic Tuesday (Dec. 31) to the University of St. Francis Fighting Saints 69-58 at the Pat Sullivan Center in Joliet, Ill.
MC trailed most of the opening half, holding the lead for just 73 seconds. USF scored the first seven points of the game, but the Bulldogs clawed back to take their first lead when Antonio Watson drilled a triple to put MC on top 29-28 midway through the half.
A quick 6-0 burst by the Bulldogs put them on top 34-33 with 3:06 to play in the half, but the Saints closed on a 9-0 run of their own to take a 42-34 advantage into the break.
The Bulldogs closed the gap early in the second half, using a 7-0 run capped off by a triple by Aaron Williams Jr. to trail 47-45.
Five straight points by Tarrance Austin again pulled the Bulldogs within 61-58 with over seven minutes to play. Those would be the last points for nearly four and a half minutes until a dunk by Aitor Anabitarte pushed the USF lead to 63-58. MC was held scoreless over the final 6:59 of the contest.
The Bulldogs shot just 9-for-38 from the field in the second half.
Antonio Watson led the Bulldogs with 13 points, and shot 4-for-6 from the three-point line. Curtis Rose finished with nine points, three assists, and three steals, while Charles Snyder, Jamil Hardaway, and Williams each added eight points.
On the other side, three Saints scored in double figures led by Ben Faatz with 18. Anabitarte added 16 points and Rahmel Davis finished with 14 points.
MC forced the Saints into 15 turnovers, 12 of which came in the second half. However, St. Francis shot 50.9 percent (28-for-55) from the field despite shooting 3-for-17 from distance.
The Bulldogs (4-9, 2-5 KCAC) return to Holman Fieldhouse for the first time since Dec. 11, playing host to Evangel University on Saturday (Jan. 4). Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
