Roy McDonald drives to the basket for McPherson College in action here Monday.
`Dogs nip Dallas by 2 points
Roy McDonald drives to the basket for McPherson College in action here Monday. |
By STEVE SELL, Sentinel Sports Editor
From near-perfection to near-disaster.
For 33 minutes here Monday, McPherson College's Bulldogs almost played a perfect basketball game.
Up 15, Mac seemingly was on its way to an impressive win over NCAA Division III member University of Dallas.
But the Texans roared back and with 35 seconds to go, took their first lead of the night on a 3-pointer by Maize graduate Shane Lungwitz.
But Mac's Roy McDonald, who at the time was 2 of 11 from the field, shaked and baked his way into the lane and threw up a spinning shot, and the Bulldogs were able to survive, 71-69.
"At times we played very well," McPherson coach Roger Trimmell said. "That would have been a tough one to lose, leading the whole game until the end."
After McDonald's shot went in with 20 seconds to go, Brian Hooks came up with a steal for Mac and was fouled. He made the first free throw, but missed the second, but the Texans, who had 7 seconds left, couldn't get the ball up the floor against solid pressure defense.
"It looked like we kind of went flat in the last five minutes," said Trimmell, whose 19th-ranked team is now 10-3 on the year. "But that was a good win. They have an excellent post man in Lungwitz and a guard (Blake Guyton) who can really stroke it."
The Bulldogs were up 64-49 with 6:47 to go, but Guyton led a 20-4 run that was capped with Lungwitz's trey that gave the Texas team a 69-68 lead, its only one of the night.
Mac had built up a 35-25 halftime lead. It was perhaps the most well-played half in recent memory, as the Bulldogs did not commit a foul in the first 14 minutes and had just one the entire half. Dallas had only three.
Kenny Romero led Mac with 19 points and Hooks added 15. Guyton scored 21 for Dallas and Lungwitz added 19.
The Bulldogs got a nice lift off the bench from Jordan Carter, who hit a couple of treys as well as a spectacular basket with 51 seconds to go which gave the Bulldogs a two-point lead.
Mac goes on the road Thursday to play KCAC co-leader Tabor and then is home Saturday against Kansas Wesleyan.
Mac (71) -- Rierson 2 2-2 7; Cox 3 0-0 8; McDonald 3 0-1 7; Carter 3 0-0 8; Hooks 6 3-4 15; Turner 1 0-0 2; Pitts 0 1-1 1; Romero 7 5-5 19; Gustafson 2 0-0 4. Totals -- 27 11-13 71. 3-pointers -- Cox 2, Carter 2, Rierson 1, McDonald 1.
Dallas (69) -- Manchester 4 0-0 9; Guyton 8 0-0 21; Gladney 1 0-0 2; Robinson 4 0-2 8; Foster 5 0-1 10; Lungwitz 8 1-2 19. Totals -- 30 1-5 69. 3-pointers -- Guyton 5, Lungwitz 2, Manchester 1.