Men's Basketball Drops First Game of Season

CRETE, Neb. - Doane Men's Basketball dropped a home matchup on Thursday night, falling 77–66 to McPherson inside the Haddix Center. The Tigers battled back from an early deficit but couldn't overcome a hot-shooting Bulldogs team that connected on 43.5% from three-point range.

McPherson jumped ahead 8–0 in the opening two minutes and led 41–29 at halftime. Doane found its rhythm in the second half, outscoring the Bulldogs 37–36 behind the efforts of Casen Chaney and Trevon Beckman, but the early gap proved too much to erase.

Chaney led the Tigers with 20 points, shooting 7-for-12 from the field and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. Beckman added 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Jonan Claussen chipped in 12 points with 5 assists. Justus Gardiner anchored the glass with 9 rebounds, and Jack Wilson recorded 2 blocks to pace the Doane defense.

As a team, Doane shot 41.4% from the field but struggled from long range at 28.1% (9-for-32). The Tigers matched McPherson on the boards with 38 rebounds apiece and tallied 17 assists on 24 made shots, but 16 turnovers proved costly in key stretches.

McPherson was led by Tarrance Austin's 23 points and five three-pointers, while KJ Marshall added 15 points and 5 steals, and Charles Snyder posted 12 points and 8 rebounds. The Bulldogs built a 14-point advantage midway through the second half before Doane trimmed it to single digits in the final minutes.

Doane (2–1) will look to bounce back on November 7 when they take on York to open the Mount Marty Classic in Yankton, S.D.

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