WINFIELD, Kan. – The No. 10-ranked Southwestern College men's basketball team returned to the floor inside Stewart Field House on Saturday afternoon to face the McPherson College Bulldogs in a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) matchup. The Builders' final home game before the winter break was an immaculate one, as SC continued their winning streak with their sixth straight victory, snatching a 78-51 triumph over the visiting Bulldogs.

"It was a great team win tonight," said head coach Matt O'Brien. "I am thankful for all of the support from the community of Winfield today. With our students on break, we still had a good crowd in attendance."

Half number one was looking great for Southwestern early on, as an early 13-6 lead was built after nearly seven-and-a-half minutes of play. The Bulldogs would keep things close, though, scoring nine of the next 11 points to tie the score at 15-15 with half of the frame yet to come. From that point forward, the Moundbuilders would incrementally increase their advantage, ultimately stretching it to 12 points at 36-24 at the break. Neither side shot the ball particularly well, as McPherson was just 10-of-31, while SC managed a 15-of-36 showing. The rebound battle was largely controlled by the Builders, though, holding a 27-19 lead in that category at halftime.

In the latter half of the bout, Southwestern would start a bit slowly on offense, affording MC the chance to cut the lead to just five points at 49-44 with 13:42 left in the final frame. Then, the Moundbuilder offense began to fire on all cylinders, finishing the game on a 29-7 run to plant an exclamation point on the 78-51 victory inside Stewart. The Builders ended up making nearly half of their second-half shots, sinking 15-of-31 from the floor. Conversely, McPherson struggled after a decent start to the second half, hitting only 9-of-30 for the entirety of the ultimate period.

From the start, it was obvious that another night to remember was in the offing for Andrew O'Brien. He ended up pouring in 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting. He was able to hit on four three-point attempts, as well, while only taking seven on the afternoon. He tied for the team lead in scoring with Cevin Clark, who was also very efficient, having made 7-of-12 from the field against the Bulldogs. He also made four three-pointers in the tilt, matching O'Brien's output in that category. Jarvis Jennings was the squad's other scorer with double-digit points, racking up 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting and a three-point make.

O'Brien's assist numbers continued to be unbelievable, as he dished out seven dimes in the win. The next highest total from an SC player was a three-way tie between Clark, Trey Abasolo and Trey White, who had two each.

Zach Hidalgo was awarded a substantial portion of run in the second half of the battle, and took full advantage, reeling in 11 total rebounds for the Southwestern lead. O'Brien and Cooper Pierce were each able to tack on nine boards for the team, and White (6) and Abasolo (5) were the other two Moundbuilders with five or more backboards.

"Zach Hidalgo and Trey White gave us a huge lift on the boards today," added O'Brien.

Southwestern only nabbed one steal in the game, which came from Clark. Rim protection was a different story, though, as Pierce led the team with two blocked shots. O'Brien and Donovan Kinney were credited with the remaining two Moundbuilder rejections in the win.

After another impressive win, Southwestern (10-1, 6-1 KCAC) will look to end their first semester conference slate with a win against the Bethany College Swedes in Lindsborg, Kan. on Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 8 p.m. The battle will precede a non-conference tilt in the Sunshine State on Friday, Dec. 16 against Warner University (Fla.) at 1 p.m. CT to close out the Builders' first half of the season.

--buildersports.com--