Crete, Neb – The Bulldogs hit the road for their contest of the season as they took on the Tigers of Doane University. Historically, McPherson leads the all-time series over Doane 3-2 with the last matchup taking place in 2016 when the Tigers took a 90-58 victory over the Bulldogs.
The Basics
Location: Haddix Center
Records: MC (1-0), DU (2-1)
Score: MC 77, DU 66
How it Happened
The Bulldogs rolled through the first half, shooting 44% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. The Visitors started off the contest with an 8-0 run within the opening two minutes, forcing an early timeout by the Tigers. Nearing the midway point of the first half,
Dash Johnson's three-pointer stretched McPherson's lead to 10 points, giving a couple of extra possessions of cushion for the Bulldogs as they were getting acclimated in their first game of the year. Doane managed to cut the lead down and even take the advantage at the 8:55 mark of the first half after a pair of free throws from Jonan Claussen. McPherson got right back to work after falling behind as
Tarrance Austin's triple towards the end of the half put the Bulldogs up by 12 with a 41-29 lead.
Austin led the way in the first half offensively going five of six from beyond the arc and six of nine from the field, totaling 19 points in just 20 minutes of basketball.
Despite Doane's offensive attack picking up steam in the second half (48%), the Bulldogs maintained a double-digit lead for majority of the remaining 20 minutes. The closest that Doane was able to close the margin to was at the 9:41 mark when Aadam Coulibaly's free throw narrowed the lead to seven points; the Bulldogs held strong and proceeded to maintain their lead and hold on for their first victory of the 2025-2026 campaign.
Up Next
McPherson College hosts Central Christian College for a chance to clinch the Mayor's Cup on November 5
th at 8:00 PM in the Holman Fieldhouse.
