Men's Basketball | 1/18/2011 9:00:54 AM
Game 20: McPherson College (8-11, 2-6 KCAC) vs Sterling College (10-8, 6-2 KCAC)
Wednesday, January 19, 2011 | 8:00 p.m. | McPherson Sport Center | McPherson, Kan.
Game Notes (PDF)
Live Audio
The Matchup
After a frustrating weekend loss at the University of Saint Mary, the McPherson College men’s basketball team returns home to the McPherson Sport Center on Wednesday night, as the Bulldogs host red-hot Sterling College.
Wednesday’s game has an 8:00 p.m. scheduled tipoff. There will be a radio broadcast provided in the McPherson area by 96.7 FM KBBE Mid-Kansas Radio and an audio stream at www.macbulldogs.com.
The Bulldogs (8-11, 2-6 KCAC) could not overcome a second half explosion by KCAC leader University of Saint Mary Saturday. After taking a four-point advantage into the intermission, the Spires shot 61.5 percent (16-of-26) from the field in the second half, including 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. McPherson connected on a respectable 12-of-28 attempts (42.9 percent) in the period, but it was not enough to keep pace, as the Bulldogs fell at USM, 83-66.
The loss extends MC’s winless streak to three games, including defeats at Bethany College and in overtime against Tabor. In two of the last three ball games, McPherson has led entering halftime, but has proved unable to hold on for the victory.
One of the encouraging signs from Saturday’s loss was the continued emergence of freshman
Samson Shivers (Houston, Texas), who totaled a team-best 20 points on 7-of-17 shooting, including 15 second half points. Shivers also neared a season-high with four rebounds in the loss.
The Bulldogs will hope for another strong showing from Shivers on Wednesday night, as Sterling (10-8, 6-2 KCAC) comes to McPherson in a tie for first in the conference with a 6-2 record and a six-game win streak.
The Warriors are coming off a 70-60 win over Bethel College on Saturday to remain tied with the University of Saint Mary and Tabor College for the top spot. Senior guard Zach Goodrich had a season-high 20 points to go along with six steals and three assists in the win.
Following Sterling, McPherson will start its second trip through the KCAC with a road trip to Kansas Wesleyan University. The Coyotes are currently 6-12 overall and 3-5 in KCAC play. Tipoff between the Bulldogs and Coyotes is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
Scouting Sterling
Sterling has been as good as advertised, as the Warriors were selected second and fourth in the KCAC preseason polls. The Warriors enter Wednesday’s game riding a six-game win streak, including conference wins against Ottawa University (75-55), Kansas Wesleyan University (67-59), Friends University (87-57) and most recently Bethel College (70-60).
The Warriors are one of the league’s top defensive teams, ranking third in the KCAC in scoring defense at 64.9 points per game, while ranking second in total rebound defense (32.28) and leading the league in blocked shots per game averaging 3.6 per contest.
Sterling features two of the top players in the KCAC in guard Zach Goodrich and forward Cody Brazelton. Despite only playing in 11 games, Goodrich ranks second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.4 points, while leading the team with 45 assists (4.1 per game). In their last game with Bethel, Goodrich, a two time unanimous All-KCAC first team selection, scored a season-high 20 points on 6-of-18 shooting from the field.
Brazelton, a 6-6 junior who did not play last season, is among the top 10 in the league in scoring at 14.3 points per game to rank sixth in that category, while leading the Warriors in rebounds per game (7.5) and total blocks (21). On the season, Brazelton is shooting 54.5 percent (97-of-178) from the floor and has scored at least 10 points in eight consecutive games.
The Warriors are coach by head coach Dean Jaderston. Jaderston is in his fourth season and owns a record of 50-58 at Sterling.
In their last meeting...
Sterling, Kan. – The McPherson College men’s basketball team struggled to stop the perimeter offense of the Sterling College Warriors Thursday night at the Gleason Center. The Warriors hit 16-of-29 three-pointers (55.2 percent) en route to an 87-72 defeat of the Bulldogs.
With the loss, McPherson (19-7, 12-5 KCAC) fails to lock up the second seed in the conference tournament, while the Warriors (10-17, 7-10 KCAC) move into a tie for seventh place with Tabor College with just one game remaining in the conference regular season.
Senior forward Antowine Lamb continued his dominant play, leading five Bulldogs in double figures. Lamb scored 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting and 3-of-4 from the foul line, while pulling down 14 rebounds to record his seventh double double of the season. Marlon Dominique and Aaron Frazier also added 13, while Mike Reece chipped in 12 and Dwayne Thomas had 10. Frazier led the team with five assists and two steals in the effort.
As a team, McPherson shot 47.5 percent (28-of-59) from the field, including 86.7 percent from the free throw line. Despite the consistent offensive production, McPherson failed to shut down the Warrior three-point game, as SC torched the nets on 16-of-29 shooting (55.2 percent) from downtown. Three-point baskets made up 48 of SC’s 87 points.
Junior guard Zach Goodrich paced the Warrior attack with 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including 7-of-10 from beyond the three-point arc.
Goodrich was on fire from the start, hitting a three-pointer just 15 seconds into the game. However, McPherson held the game close until back-to-back three’s by Randy July gave Sterling a seven point cushion, 29-22 midway through the first half.
Kasey Miller nailed a three-pointer from the wing to bring the deficit to four, 31-27, but Sterling’s Trenton Stutzman answered with a three of his own. Unfortunately, for the Bulldogs four points is as close as they could shrink the Warrior lead the rest of the night.
Sterling extended its lead to 14, 47-33, at the end of the first 20 minutes after Goodrich nailed his fourth three of the half followed by a contested two as time expired.
In the second half, McPherson opened hitting just 3-of-10 from the floor as SC took the lead out to 21 points, 60-39, at the 15:48 mark. McPherson battled to get back into the game, but failed to pull the lead closer than 13 the rest of the game.
Sterling hot shooting continued throughout the game, finishing the contest hitting 51.7 percent from the field, including 16-of-20 (55.2 percent) from three-point range. Along with Goodrich’s 27 points, Randy July added 17, Trenton Stutzman 15, while Kenny McGrath finished out the double digit scorers with 12.
