McPherson, Kan – It'd be a late night for the Bulldogs on Wednesday as it would take one extra period of play to decide this matchup between McPherson College and York University. The Panthers had dropped four straight games prior to the contest with those losses being by at least 17 points. McPherson also sought after a win to get back on track after losing three of their last four matchups.
The Basics
Location: Holman Fieldhouse
Score: MC 108, YU 104
Records: MC 10-5 (6-3 KCAC), EU 4-11 (2-7 KCAC)
How it Happened
Neither side had superhero number in the first half, but the Bulldogs were able to separate themselves from the Panthers by hitting three more triples than the visitors and finding seven more shots to drop at the charity stripe. Despite York shooting better from the field than McPherson, they had thrown up 11 three-point attempts and only came away with two while the Bulldogs knocked home a third of their shots from beyond the arc. Through the opening six minutes, the Panthers were able to keep the margin relatively close by rebounding what felt like every offensive board possible; they didn't always capitalize on their rebounds, but it kept the Bulldogs away from the offensive side of the floor. McPherson managed to reach a 43-33 lead before heading into the halftime break.
Although McPherson was able to convert more of their shots from the floor, York's offense had struck oil. The Panthers made over half of their attempts from three-point territory and converted 66% of their shots from the floor. The Bulldogs had double the amount of turnovers that York had in the second half, allowing for more offensive opportunities for the visitors. York's Logan Beckstrom made four of six three pointers in the half and racked up 14 points to help the Panthers make the comeback to force overtime; York had two opportunities for game winning shots but came up empty in the dying seconds of regulation.
In overtime, Joe Gonzales and
Korbin Gunn got the Bulldogs a quick four-point lead in the first minute with a pair of Gonzales' free throws and a hard-nosed layup from Gunn. McPherson was able to maintain their lead in the overtime period by making their shots from not only the floor, but from the line as well; the Bulldogs went nine of ten from the free throw line after being fouled to keep York's hopes alive with the small margin. With three seconds left in the contest,
Charles Snyder's trip to the line was the nail in the coffin as he drilled both shots to hold a four-point lead with too little time in the game left for the Panthers. After two and a half hours, the Bulldogs took the 108-104 victory in overtime over York.
Up Next
McPherson College will be back in the Holman Fieldhouse this Saturday to face the Moundbuilders of Southwestern College on January 10
th at 3:00 PM. Last time the two teams met, the Bulldogs left Winfield, KS with an 83-74 victory.
