McPherson, Kan – It’d be a show to watch on Sunday evening as McPherson and Bethel College squared off in a massive KCAC matchup. Both teams were tied for second place in the conference standings coming into the contest, making this one out to be a thrilling 40 minutes.
The Basics
Location: Paul Demie Mainieri Field
Records: MC 15-5 (11-3 KCAC), BC 15-5 (10-4 KCAC)
Score: MC 82, BC 77
How it Happened
This would be the third time that the Bulldogs had to fight extra minutes in overtime with an opponent this season.
The first half was a very entertaining back-and-forth 20 minutes of basketball. Both sides had converted over 44% of their shots from the floor, but the Threshers were able to find two more shots than the Bulldogs from inside the perimeter. The Bulldogs hadn’t given up the lead to the Threshers until the 11:11 mark of the half after Cade Kittrell nailed a mid-range jumper for the 15-13 lead. From then on the advantage would pinball between McPherson and Bethel, but ultimately it was the visitors taking the 40-38 lead into the locker room following Kittrell’s layup just before the halftime horn.
Bethel’s opening to the second half was dominant, working their way to a 10-point lead midway through the half; in a game that was as close as it was up to this point, 10 points felt like a mountain to climb for the Bulldogs. After nearly two minutes of scoreless action, McPherson caught fire. Tarrance Austin nailed a three pointer on a designed play following the media timeout; Joe Gonzales cut the lead down to five after a quick steal and breakaway layup with the score at 65-60 in favor of Bethel. After Austin’s block on Rustan Griffen, Gunn would turn the possession into another triple to get the game’s scoreline to 65-63. Following a perfect trip to the line from JD Talley, Austin completed McPherson’s journey back into the game and take the 67-65 lead at the 2:13 mark.
With Bethel leading the way with just seconds remaining at 71-69, Gunn would be fouled on a shot attempt with just under six seconds remaining; he would drill both of his free throws and knot the game at 71-71. Bethel’s Kittrell had one final attempt at victory on a shot just inside the arc at the buzzer, but his miss would give the fans more basketball in overtime.
In overtime, Austin lit the floor up with an opening triple on McPherson’s first possession to jump up to a quick 74-71 lead. Gunn would follow it with a long possession and a jumper for the 76-71 advantage. The Threshers were able to find two consecutive layups from underneath, but KJ Marshall’s dunk with two minutes left in overtime maintained McPherson’s lead. Rustan Griffen snuck in another layup for Bethel to keep the margin close, but this would be the final bucket of the game for the Threshers. With a three-point lead, Kittrell would have another opportunity with a massive triple to tie the game, but the shot would once again fail to fall for the Threshers. After being sent to the line, Gunn put the game on ice after sinking both his free throw attempts with too little time left for Bethel. McPherson took the wild 82-77 victory in their first meeting with the Threshers this season.
Up Next
This Wednesday, the Bulldogs will be back on the road in Hillsboro, Kansas to take on the Tabor College Bluejays on January 28th at 8:00 PM.
