McPherson, Kan – On Saturday, the Bulldogs would take on the Southwestern College Moundbuilders for the second time this season. Previously, McPherson was able to pick up the road victory in Winfield, KS by way of 83-74. After their 108-104 overtime victory over York on Wednesday, the Bulldogs looked to end this one while the sun still shined over campus.
The Basics
Location: Holman Fieldhouse
Score: MC 79, SC 64
Records: MC 11-5 (7-3 KCAC), SC 11-5 (5-5 KCAC)
How it Happened
It was hard to take your eyes off the floor through the opening six minutes of action; and when we say six minutes of action, we mean six true minutes of action. There wasn't a break for either side until the 13:34 mark of the first half. Southwestern had every bit of size advantage over McPherson and took full use of it in the early going; the first three buckets for the Moundbuilders came off of second-chance efforts after three offensive rebounds. The Bulldogs began to light up the floor, scoring on six consecutive possessions to keep up with Southwestern's high efficiency.
Tarrance Austin's foul at 13:34 would finally give the two sides a well-earned seat on the bench for the media timeout.
From then on, there would be 11 lead changes in the remainder of the first half.
Korbin Gunn's three-pointer with 21 seconds left in the half would give the Bulldogs a 41-40 advantage heading into the halftime break. Both sides shot above 50% in the first half, but separating the two sides was McPherson's ability to hit the deep ball. The Bulldogs shot 55% from beyond the arc while the Moundbuilders could only find a quarter of their shots to fall (2-8).
The second half displayed McPherson's halftime adjustments; and they worked very well.
Through the opening five minutes of the second half, the Bulldogs jumped out to a six-point lead following
Tarrance Austin's mid-range jumper at the 15:53 mark. After the media timeout, McPherson cruised on to an even larger lead. Although their rate from the floor took a slight hit, it wasn't nearly as big of a hit as it was for Southwestern following the trip to the locker room. The Moundbuilders went from shooting 53% in the first half to 31% in the second, hitting just one lone three-pointer for the final 20 minutes of action. Following the final buzzer after a dominant second-half performance, the Bulldogs rolled to a 79-64 victory.
Up Next
The Bulldogs will have their first of three upcoming road games on Wednesday, as they'll take on the Coyotes of Kansas Wesleyan University in the Mabee Arena on January 14
th at 8:00 PM.
