McPherson, Kan – For the first time since 2022, the Bulldogs hosted the KCAC Quarterfinal in the Holman Fieldhouse as they took on the 6
th seeded Evangel Valor. In their first and only meeting of the regular season, McPherson was stunned on the road in AGFinancial Arena where they would take the 78-60 loss.
The Basics
Location: Holman Fieldhouse
Records: MC 20-9, EU 19-11
Score: MC 80, EU 78
How it Happened
First off…what a crowd.
In front of a packed Holman Fieldhouse crowd, the two teams got out to a slow start offensively – by far one of the slowest starts we've seen from McPherson College this season. At the first media timeout, McPherson found themselves down 8-2; however, the defensive presence that the Bulldogs played with assured everyone in the gym that they were not to be doubted.
Evangel led for the next ten minutes of the half, but the resilient Bulldogs closed the margin. By the 5:43 mark,
Korbin Gunn had heated up and his layup gave McPherson their first lead of the game at 21-20. From then on, it seemed like the Bulldogs couldn't miss; they would go on to shoot 60% for the half and take a 38-32 lead into the locker room.
McPherson's first-half performance was highlighted by their defensive play as they held Evangel to 32 points on offense with a 40% rate from the floor. A notable injury from the first half was
KJ Marshall who would be done for the rest of the game with a hip injury.
The Valor were determined to work their way back into the contest; they would take the opening three minutes of the second half to retake the lead at 42-41 following Jacob Lafferty's triple at the 16:55 mark.
With three minutes left to go, Evangel spread their lead to two possessions; with how close this contest was throughout, it felt like a ten-point lead. The Bulldogs felt the pressure and began to take deep shots, but they were unable to convert from beyond the arc. After multiple fouls to force free throws from Evangel, the Valor escaped the Holman Fieldhouse with the 80-78 victory.
Up Next
The Bulldogs will wait for the NAIA National Tournament Selection Show on March 5
th at 6:00 PM.
