Men's Basketball | 12/31/2011 12:01:00 PM
Game 16: No. 5 McPherson College (14-1, 4-0) vs. York College (Neb.) (6-7, 0-0 MCAC)
Monday, Jan. 2, 2012 | 7:30 p.m. (CT) | McPherson Sport Center | McPherson, Kan.
Game Notes (PDF)
Live Stats
Live Video
Live Audio
McPherson, Kan. - The No. 5 McPherson College men’s basketball team concludes the non-conference portion of its schedule, as the Bulldogs host York College (Neb.) on Monday, Jan. 2. Tipoff for the matchup between the Bulldogs and Panthers is set for 7:30 p.m. (CT).
Monday’s game will be live streamed on the KCAC Broadcast Network and at Macbulldogs.com with Nick Gosnell on the call. In addition, 96.7 FM KBBE MidKansas Radio is providing radio coverage in the McPherson area. Out of market individuals can access the radio broadcast at Macbulldogs.com.
The McPherson-York matchup marks the sixth consecutive season these two sides have met on the hardwood and the fifth straight time the Bulldogs have wrapped up their non-conference schedule against the Panthers.
In the last game, the Bulldogs dropped an 82-76 decision in an exhibition contest at NCAA Division II Rockhurst University (Mo.). McPherson, who trailed 46-36 at the half, cut the Eagle lead to as close as three twice in the second half, but was unable to overcome the deficit. On the night, McPherson shot 43.3 percent from the field and was led in scoring by guard
Samson Shivers (Houston, Texas) who closed the game with 19 points.
For the season, Shivers leads the squad in scoring at 16.9 points per game, including 10 straight double-digit contests. Guard
Aaron Frazier (McPherson, Kan.) is a close second at 16.4 points per game, while also leading the team with 37 steals and 13 blocked shots. Forward
Jordan Crawford (McPherson, Kan.) remains the team’s leading rebounder with134 total boards, which ranks fourth nationally.
After a 5-1 start, the York College Panthers have struggled and come to McPherson with a 6-7 mark. The Panthers are currently riding a three-game losing streak, including a loss an, 88-93, overtime loss at Concordia (Neb.) on Dec. 16. YC’s lone victory following their blazing start came at AIB (Iowa), 100-67, on Nov. 26. The Panthers are 1-0 against KCAC opponents with a 90-82 victory against Tabor on Nov. 8.
Following York, McPherson returns to KCAC play with road contests at Southwestern on Thursday, Jan. 5 and at Friends on Saturday, Jan. 7.
Scouting York
After a 5-1 start, the York College Panthers have struggled and come to McPherson with a 6-7 mark. The Panthers are currently riding a three-game losing streak, including a loss an, 88-93, overtime loss at Concordia (Neb.) on Dec. 16. YC’s lone victory following their blazing start came at AIB (Iowa), 100-67, on Nov. 26. The Panthers are 1-0 against KCAC opponents with a 90-82 victory against Tabor on Nov. 8.
Against Concordia, the Panthers erased a 16-point halftime deficit to send the game into the extra period, but proved unable to overcome the hot shooting of the Bulldogs, as Concordia finished the game shooting 52.3 percent (34-of-65) from the field. York ended the night shooting 42.3 percent (33-of-78). Guard Thadd Varmall led YC with 23 points and 10 rebounds, including seven offensive rebounds, for his team-high fourth double-double of the season, while guard Marcus Johnson added 22 points and a game-high four assists in the effort.
On the year, York ranks 24th nationally in scoring offense at 80.3 points per game and has eclipsed the 80-point plateau seven times, including a season-high 100 points against AIB. The Panthers shoot a respectable 44.9 percent from the field. Despite the prolific offensive attack, York has struggled on the defensive side, allowing opponents 79.7 points per game on 47.2 percent shooting.
Individually, the Panthers have four individuals averaging double figures led by Varmall, who averages 15.0 points per game on 54.8 percent shooting from the field. Additionally, Varmall leads the team with a 76.0 free throw percentage (minimum of 20 free throws). He has only been held out of double figures twice this season.
Second in line is Johnson, who averages 13.9 points per game and leads the team with 25 steals. Johnson scored a season-high 28 points on Nov. 8 against Tabor. Rounding out the Panther’s top scorers is forward Keenan Gaskin with 11.8 points per game and guard Desmond Strickland at 10.2 points per game. The four previously mentioned individuals account for 63 percent of the teams average scoring.
York is coached by Delton Deal, who is in second season with the Panthers.
In their last meeting...
York, Neb. – Despite a one-point halftime advantage, the McPherson College men’s basketball team dropped an 80-93 decision to York College Monday evening at the Freeman Center in York, Neb.
With the loss, McPherson falls to 7-8 on the season, while the Panthers improve to 6-7 on the year.
In the first half, the two sides battled back and forth, but it was the Bulldogs who took a 43-42 advantage into the intermission after sophomore forward Mason Hewitt (Norwich, Kan.) connected on a jumper with nine seconds left in the period. McPherson shot a respectable 43.6 percent (17-of-39) from the field, including 35.7 percent (5-of-14) from beyond the three-point line.
However, the MC offense cooled off in the second half, while the Panthers continued their consistent attack. York finished the period outscoring the Bulldogs 51-37 en route to the 13-point victory. The Panthers finished the second half shooting 45.2 percent (14-of-31), including 8-of-16 attempts from beyond the arc.
McPherson was led in scoring by freshman guard Samson Shivers (Houston, Texas) who set a career-high with 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field. It marks the fifth time that Shivers has led the Bulldog offense this season. Other double figure scorers include Kasey Miller (Derby, Kan.) and Mason Hewitt (Norwich, Kan.), who both finished the game with 14 points, respectively. Hewitt also led the team with eight rebounds.
As a team, the Bulldogs finished the evening shooting 38.0 percent from the field, 25.9 percent from three-point range and 79.2 percent from the foul line.
For York, Leonard Epps had 28 points to lead the Panthers.
McPherson returns to action this Thursday when they host Southwestern College. Tipoff between the Bulldogs and Moundbuilders is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.
