McPherson, Kan – In their regular-season finale, the Bulldogs took on the 5
th ranked team in the United States, the Oklahoma Wesleyan University Eagles. It was a great Senior Day crowd that filled the gym for this highly anticipated matchup, creating a great atmosphere at Jim's Appliances of Inman Court.
The Basics
Location: Holman Fieldhouse
Records: MC 20-8 (16-6 KCAC), OKWU 25-3 (20-2 KCAC)
Score: MC 83, OKWU 88
How it Happened
Oklahoma Wesleyan displayed exactly why they've been one of the most dominant teams in the country. The Eagles shot 55% in the opening half (21-38) and 8-10 at the charity stripe. McPherson could not match the rate of attack on the other side of the floor, but they did manage to shoot 44% from the floor (14-32). Leading the first-half attack for the Bulldogs was
Labron Wilson with 11 points in the first half followed closely behind by
Korbin Gunn with 10.
The visitors managed to spread their lead to as large as 21 points just before the end of the half after Ethan Williams' layup at the 1:12 mark for the 52-31 advantage, making the McPherson faithful feel a little uncertain about what to expect from the Bulldogs in the second half. Adjustments would have to be made in the locker room as the Eagles took a 55-37 lead into halftime.
If there was any doubt that McPherson would fold quietly, Joe Gonzales restored faith in about 45 seconds.
Gonzales' back-to-back triples brought life back into the Holman Fieldhouse and sparked a flame that brought the Bulldogs back into the contest. The deficit continued to shrink and by the 9:07 mark,
Labron Wilson brought the Bulldogs to within a possession of the Eagles after converting an and-one on a tip-in layup with the score at 70-67.
Despite the momentum in favor of McPherson, Oklahoma Wesleyan responded and managed to build their lead back up with hard-earned buckets in the paint.
McPherson would outscore the Eagles 46-33 in the second half, but their efforts would come up short in the end as the Eagles held on for the 88-83 road win to close out the regular season.
Up Next
The KCAC Tournament begins this upcoming week on Thursday, with the Bulldogs set to host their first KCAC Quarterfinal since the pandemic. They'll take on the Evangel Valor on February 26
th at 7:00 PM in the Holman Fieldhouse.
All tickets for the KCAC Tournament must be purchased online at kcacsports.com. The link below will take you there.
KCAC TOURNAMENT TICKETS
