McPherson, Kan – In their 24
th all-time meeting, the Bulldogs hosted the McPherson Collegiate Cup in the Holman Fieldhouse as the Central Christian Tigers crossed Kansas Avenue into enemy territory. The Bulldogs suffered a heart-breaking 88-87 loss in the previous meeting a year prior, but had taken victories in the two matches prior in 2022 and 2023.
The Basics
Location: Holman Fieldhouse
Records: MC 1-1, CCC 3-0
Score: MC 70, CCC 80
How it Happened
It would take over a minute to get the first points up on the board, but the Tigers took the opening lead after a tip-in layup was made by Tavis King.
Charles Snyder's trip to the line would spark a 6-0 run for the Bulldogs as
KJ Marshall and Snyder found a pair of two-pointers from close-range to take the 6-2 lead. For the next seven minutes, both teams went point-for-point until the scoreboard stood at 13-13 with 8:57 left in the half. The Tigers proceeded to catch fire on offense and took a 13-point lead capped off by Aaron Doria's three-pointer at the 6:50 mark, forcing a timeout from McPherson head coach TJ Eskildsen. Central Christian would go on to shoot 46% (14/30) from the floor in the half and roll into the locker room with a 35-29 lead. McPherson shot 27% (12/44) in the half and couldn't get the three-point specialists hot, converting just one of ten shots from beyond the arc.
The Tigers would come out in the second half and shoot even better from all locations on the court, converting 54% from the floor and knocking home eight of 13 shots from three-point land, making it an even tougher battle to fight for the Bulldogs. McPherson also shot better from the floor (47%), but the efficiency on offense took favor to the visitors in this contest. Central Christian worked all the way up to a 19-point advantage with 8:46 remaining in the game after a three-pointer from Jevarrick Butler. The Bulldogs were able to chop away at the deficit but were unable to get the game to within two possessions for the remainder of the contest, giving Central Christian their second consecutive win over McPherson in the Collegiate Cup with a final score of 80-70.
Up Next
McPherson College will face Grand View University and Graceland University in the upcoming Graceland Classic in Lamoni, Iowa. The first matchup with Grand View will be held on November 7
th at 7:00 PM.
