MANHATTAN, Kan. (MacBulldogs.com) – McPherson College remained unbeaten Saturday (Nov. 11) knocking off the Manhattan Christian College Thunder 72-65 in Manhattan, Kan. The Bulldogs have started 4-0 for the second consecutive season and third time in the last four years.
The Bulldogs also improved to 13-1 against Manhattan Christian since 2009, with the lone setback coming in 2017, a three-point loss inside the Sport Center.
Collin Storr posted his second consecutive double-double, scoring a team-high 18 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Storr also finished with seven steals and one block. Antonio Watson added 14 points for the Bulldogs off the bench, while Jerome Mabry scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
The Bulldogs were held to season-lows of 35.5 percent (27-for-76) shooting from the field and 15.5 percent (4-for-26) from beyond the arc. On the other end, the Thunder shot 36.5 percent from the field, and were 13-for-14 from the charity stripe. MC finished with season-highs of 14 steals and 10 blocks.
MC never trailed in the first half, opening on an 8-2 burst. The Bulldogs would lead by as many as 11 in the opening frame, but the Thunder stormed back to trim the lead to 32-30 at the break.
The Thunder took their first lead early in the second half, then the teams traded baskets until a 10-0 run by the Bulldogs put them on top 47-38 with 15:19 to play in the game. MC ballooned its lead to 13, but again the Thunder closed the gap, cutting it to a 58-57 Bulldog lead with 5:18 remaining.
Back-to-back baskets by Storr and a triple by Watson gave the Bulldogs a six-point cushion. The Bulldogs made key free throws down the stretch to keep the upset-minded Thunder at bay.
The Bulldogs return to the Sport Center for their KCAC opener against Bethel College with tipoff coming at 8:00 p.m.
