McPherson, Kan – The Bulldogs continued their success this weekend as they hosted the Swedes of Bethany College who made the short drive down from Lindsborg, Kansas. McPherson had won eight straight contests against KCAC opponents and maintained their status at out-right second in the conference, while the Swedes sought after their third conference win this season.
The Basics
Location: Holman Fieldhouse
Records: MC 18-5 (14-3 KCAC), BC 6-16 (2-15 KCAC)
Score: MC 107, BC 74
How it Happened
Korbin Gunn scored the opening seven points for the Bulldogs in this contest, converting on a four-point play after being fouled on a three-point attempt and draining another attempt from distance for the 7-0 lead. On the other end, the Swedes slowly began to find their shots to fall, but the Bulldogs held a solid lead for majority of this half. McPherson had worked their way to an 11-point lead after Gunn’s layup at the 5:41 mark of the first half.
As comfortable of a lead it felt for the Bulldogs, Bethany had taken advantage of the final three minutes of the half to minimize the margin. Following JJ Warfield’s layup with seconds ticking off the clock to end the half, the Swedes had worked their way to within two of the Bulldogs at 43-41. Gunn ended the half with 22 points and four rebounds, followed behind by Charles Snyder who had 11 points and six rebounds. Despite scoring 43 points in the half, McPherson shot 37% from the field (15-41) and just 29% from beyond the arc (4-14).
Bethany had actually taken a 44-43 lead within the first nine seconds of the second half after a triple from Keddric Mays II, but it’d be the final time that the Swedes held the advantage. For the next four minutes, the Bulldogs went on a 20-1 run that lit up the Holman Fieldhouse and gave McPherson all the momentum for the remainder of the game.
After the starters had been taken off the floor, McPherson relied on members of the bench to maintain their lead for the duration of the game; not only did they maintain, but they grew the lead by seven points in the final three minutes. AmenEl Tadesse’s triple at the 1:00 mark would be the final bucket of the contest as McPherson rolled to a 107-74 victory for their ninth consecutive win.
Up Next
The Bulldogs will have another stretch of upcoming road games for the next two weeks; their next game will be in Leavenworth, Kansas as they take on the University of Saint Mary Spires this Saturday on February 7th at 7:00 PM.
