Men's Basketball | 12/2/2011 3:23:00 PM
Game 13: No. 8 McPherson College (11-1, 1-0) at Tabor College (3-7, 0-1)
Saturday, December 3, 2011 | 7 p.m. (CT) | Tabor Gymnasium | Hillsboro, Kan.
Game Notes (PDF)
Live Video (KCAC Broadcast Network)
Live Audio
McPherson, Kan. - Fresh off a conference-opening win over Bethel College, the McPherson College men’s basketball team hits the road for the second consecutive game as the Bulldogs travel to Tabor College on Saturday.
Tipoff from Tabor Gymnasium is slated for 7 p.m. (CT) and will be carried live on the KCAC Broadcast Network. For radio listeners, 96.7 FM KBBE MidKansas Radio will provide their normal coverage with Nick Gosnell on the call. The audio of the game can also be heard for free at Macbulldogs.com.
Against Bethel, McPherson’s offense continued to click on all cylinders, as the Bulldogs eclipsed the 75-point plateau for the 11th time in 12 games. Defensively, MC held Bethel under double-digits until the 6:10 mark of the opening half, while the offense raced out to a 33-10 advantage. The Bulldogs never looked back from that point en route to the 82-47 victory.
Samson Shivers, much like he has done all season, led McPherson with 16 points, including 15 points in the opening period. On the year, Shivers leads the team with a 16.9 points per game average and has scored in double figures in all but one contest. In addition to Shivers, Adam Bruner set a career-high with 14 points, while Jordan Crawford posted his second double-double of the season with 14 points and 13 rebounds against the Threshers.
Now the Bulldogs have to turn their focus to a struggling Tabor team that comes into the contest riding a four-game losing streak and is 3-7 overall and 0-1 in the KCAC. The Blue Jays last victory came on Nov. 19 when they defeated Johnson & Wales (Colo.), 91-76, on a neutral floor. Part of TC’s struggles could be blamed on a mostly road schedule to open the 2011-12 campaign with the Blue Jays playing 8-of-10 games either on the road or at a neutral site. However, Tabor is 0-2 is their only home games this season with losses to Haskell (57-66) and Benedictine (64-66).
Last season, McPherson and Tabor split their two game series in unconventional fashion as each side took the game on the opponent’s home floor. Despite last season’s split, McPherson enters the weekend with a 6-4 record in the two sides last 10 meetings.
After Tabor, the Bulldogs return to the McPherson Sport Center for a Thursday night matchup with Sterling College, before wrapping up their pre-holiday schedule against Saint Mary on Dec. 10.
Last time out...
North Newton, Kan. – Eight of nine Bulldogs who saw action scored at least two points, as the No. 8 McPherson College men’s basketball team rolled past Bethel College, 82-47, to open Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference play Thursday evening at Thresher Gymnasium.
With the victory, McPherson improves to 11-1 overall and 1-0 in conference action, while the Threshers fall to 0-6 overall and 0-1 in league play.
Samson Shivers (Houston, Texas) paced the Bulldog offense with 16 points, including 15 in the first period, as the Bulldogs took control early, opening the game with a 33-8 run over the first 14 minutes of action. McPherson never looked back from this point, stretching its lead to 46-23 at the half.
The Bulldogs kept their foot on the gas in the second period en route to the 35-point victory.
In addition to Shivers, Adam Bruner (McPherson, Kan.) posted a career-high 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while Jordan Crawford (McPherson, Kan.) posted his second double-double of the season with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Crawford finished the contest 6-for-10 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free throw line. Kasey Miller (Derby, Kan.) rounded out the Bulldog double-digit scorers with 11 points, including a season-high three 3-pointers.
As a team, McPherson finished the game shooting 40.0 percent (28-of-70) from the field, 33.3 percent (8-of-24) from 3-point range and 62.1 percent (18-of-29) from the foul line. The Bulldogs held a 43-34 advantage in rebounding, while forcing 22 Bethel turnovers.
Albert Wilson led Bethel in scoring with nine points on 4-of-11 shooting. As a team, Bethel shot 30.4 percent (17-of-56) from the field.
The Bulldogs return to action on Saturday, Dec. 3 when they travel to Tabor College. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. (CT).
Scouting Tabor
Tabor returns to Tabor Gymnasium winless in their last four games, including a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference opening loss at Southwestern, 77-70, Thursday night. The four-game slide puts the Blue Jays at 3-7 overall and 0-1 in KCAC play. Their last victory came against Johnson & Wales (Colo.) on Nov. 19.
Against Southwestern, the Blue Jays lit up the scoreboard with a 47.3 percent (25-of-55) field goal percentage, but defensively failed to stop the Moundbuilders who answered with a 51.7 percent (31-of-6) shooting night of their own. Joe Penn led four TC players in double figures with 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting, while Ryan Chppeaux tallied his second double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
On the season, Tabor ranks amongst the top four in the KCAC with a 74.7 points per game average, including five contests of at least 80 points. A key part of TC’s success this season has been their free throw shooting, which they rank fifth nationally with a 77.0 percent free throw percentage, and perimeter play as they rank 17th in the NAIA in total 3-point field goals made with 78.
Despite the offensive successes, Tabor has struggled on the defensive end. The Jays allow opponents an average of 74.9 points per game on a 45.6 percent field goal percentage.
Individually, Penn leads the team at 14.1 points per game, while Chippeaux averages 11.0 and Lawson Kingsley scores at an average of 10.1. Kingsley and Penn serve as TC’s primary 3-point threats as each shoot better than 40 percent from beyond the arc, while Chippeaux leads the team with 12 blocked shots.
After McPherson, Tabor wraps up the pre-Christmas portion of its KCAC schedule with a home game against Kansas Wesleyan, before hitting the road to play Ottawa.
In their last meeting...
Hillsboro, Kan. – The McPherson College men’s basketball team used a solid second half to turn a four-point halftime deficit into a 68-61 win over first place Tabor College on Thursday night.
McPherson (15-11, 9-6 overall) connected on 50.0 percent (13-of-26) of attempts from the field, while converting 16-of-18 (88.9 percent) trips to the foul line in extending its win streak to seven games. The Bulldogs ended the night shooting 37.3 percent (22-of-59) from the floor and set a season best with a 87.5 percent success rate at the charity stripe.
Junior forward Jordan Crawford (McPherson, Kan.) recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 20 points, 14 of which came in the second period, and 10 rebounds, while twin brother Chris Crawford (McPherson, Kan.) and sophomore Mason Hewitt (Norwich, Kan.) added 10 points apiece. Senior guard Trent Severs (Inman, Kan.) rounded out the MC double figure scorers with 11 points, while tallying a team-high three assists.
McPherson struggled in the opening period, making only 27.3 percent (9-of-33) of their shots, but were able to keep pace due to nine Tabor turnovers. TC opened the game with an 8-2 run, including a pair of three-pointers. The run was answered by an MC 7-0 streak of their own, capped by a three-pointer by Crawford. The effort gave the Bulldogs their only lead of the half, 9-8, with 15:20 remaining in the period.
Tabor would extend its lead out to a period high seven points following a Kyle Wallace three-pointer, but a last second trey from Samson Shivers (Houston, Texas) cut the deficit to four, 29-25, entering the locker room.
Both teams traded baskets to open the second period before an 11-2 run by the Bulldogs gave McPherson their first lead since 15:20 in the first half, 48-46. Back-to-back steal and scores by Shivers and Severs capped MC’s run.
Tabor tied the score, 56-56, five minutes later when Lawson Kingsley was fouled and connected on a runner in the lane. He converted his free throw attempt to complete the three-point play.
However, the Bulldogs would outscore Tabor 12-5 over the final six minutes of the period, including going 8-for-8 from the free throw line during the stretch.
Damon Dechant led Tabor (17-7, 11-4 KCAC) with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Phillip Jimenez recorded 11 points and five rebounds in the effort. The Blue Jays shot 43.6 percent (24-of-55) from the field and 25.0 percent (5-of-20) from beyond the arc.
McPherson outscored Tabor, 21-8, at the free throw line.
