Men's Basketball | 1/26/2011 2:04:46 PM
Game 22: McPherson College (10-11, 4-6 KCAC) vs Ottawa University (6-14, 3-7 KCAC)
Thursday, January 27, 2011 | 8:00 p.m. | McPherson Sport Center | McPherson, Kan.
Game Notes (PDF)
The Matchup
The McPherson College men’s basketball team seeks revenge Thursday, January 27, as the Bulldogs play host to Ottawa University. In their first meet, the Bulldogs surrendered 59-second half points to allow OU to pick up a, 85-76, come from behind victory.
Tipoff between the Bulldogs and Braves is schedule for 8:00 p.m. inside the McPherson Sport Center. Due to a programming conflict, there will be no radio broadcast of the event.
The Bulldogs (10-11, 4-6 KCAC) had arguably one of their most exciting stretches of the season last week, as MC won a pair of overtime thrillers against Sterling College (91-83) and at Kansas Wesleyan University (83-75).
Against the Coyotes, McPherson trailed by 12 entering the break, but battled back due in large part to a 20-8 run midway through the period to send the game into overtime. In the extra frame, MC shot a perfect 5-for-5 from the field and was 8-of-10 from the free throw line.
McPherson shot 45.0 percent (27-of-60) on the night, including 48.4 percent (15-of-31) in the second half, and placed four players in double figures. Freshman guard Samson Shivers continued his strong play with a career-high 25 points, while junior guard Aaron Frazier added 19.
Shivers has continued to be a strong presence for the Bulldogs during the second half of the season. He averages a team-high 13.0 points per game while shooting 43.6 percent from the field. He enters the week with three 20-point performances in the Bulldogs last four games. The Houston, Texas native earned KCAC Player of the Week honors for his play against the Warriors and Coyotes.
MC will need another strong performance from Shivers and the rest of the squad as they look to pick up their third straight victory. With a win Thursday, McPherson would improve to 5-6 in conference play and potentially be tied for fifth place with Bethel College.
Ottawa (6-14, 3-7 KCAC) looks to continue to move themselves into KCAC tournament position following an 84-64 win against Bethel College. OU finished the contest shooting 60.0 percent from the field and the 20-point margin is the largest of the season.
Following Ottawa, McPherson travels to North Newton to take on Bethel College. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. inside Thresher Gymnasium.
Scouting Ottawa
It has been a frustrating season to this point for the Braves, including a five game losing streak ranging from Dec. 20 to Jan. 13. However, Ottawa has come on of late winning two of the last three, including a 84-64 win against Bethel College on Saturday. The victory improved OU to 6-14 on the season and 3-7 in league play. Despite resting at the bottom of the KCAC, OU is just one game out of eighth place and a potential position in the KCAC tournament.
Against Bethel, Ottawa shot a season-best 60.0 percent (32-of-53) from the field and was 14-of-17 from the free throw line. Sophomore forward Corey Smith led the team with a game-high 24 points and seven rebounds. OU’s twenty-point victory is their largest margin of the season.
Smith and fellow sophomore guard Chase Dippel are two of three Braves that average double figures on the season. Dippel leads the team and ranks fourth in the KCAC, scoring 14.5 points per game on 40.7 percent shooting. He owns eight games of at least four three-point baskets to lead the team with 54. Dippel set a season-high with 36 points in the Braves first meeting with McPherson.
Smith is second on the squad with 13.5 points, which ranks 10th in the conference. He leads a team that ranks atop the KCAC in free throw shooting percentage (72.2 percent) with an 83.8 percent success rate at the charity stripe. He also leads the team with 107 total rebounds. Larry Barber is the final of the big three, averaging 11.2 points per game.
In their first meeting, Ottawa scored 59 second half points to overcome a 20-point halftime deficit to defeat McPherson, 85-76.
The Braves are led by long time head coach Andy Carrier.
In their last meeting...
Ottawa, Kan. – The McPherson College men’s basketball team succumbed to a second half rally by the Ottawa University Braves on Saturday evening, dropping an 85-76 decisions to OU on the road at Wilson Field House.
The loss is the Bulldogs fourth straight and drops them to 6-6 on the season and 0-2 to open conference play, while the Braves improve to 3-6 overall and 1-1 in KCAC action.
McPherson dominated the first half, including a 16-0 run midway through the period to give the Bulldogs a 23-10 advantage. MC would push its lead out to 20, 46-26, in the closing seconds of the half when Samson Shivers (Houston, Texas) connected on a three-point basket off an OU turnover.
The Bulldogs finished the opening 20 minutes shooting 52.9 percent (18-of-34) from the field and 4-of-5 from the free throw line.
However, the second half would not be as kind to McPherson as Ottawa exploded out of the locker room with a 28-8 run to take back the lead for the first time since the 14:20 mark of the first half, 56-54. The Braves, aided by a number of Bulldog personal fouls, pushed their lead out to 11 late in the period following a pair of DeMarcus Doucette free throws, 82-71.
McPherson would cut the lead back to six following Shivers fourth and final three-point basket of the night, but it would not be enough, as Ottawa converted three-of-four free throws to finish the night.
The Bulldogs were led in scoring by junior guard Aaron Frazier (McPherson, Kan.) with 17, while Shivers rounded out the double figures scorers with 14.
Ottawa’s Chase Dippel tallied a game high 36 points on 10-of-20 shooting and 11-of-13 free throw attempts.
