Men's Basketball | 12/9/2011 1:46:00 PM
Game 15: No. 7 McPherson (13-1, 3-0) vs. No. 25 University of Saint Mary (9-2, 2-1)
Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011 | 7 p.m. (CT) | McPherson Sport Center | McPherson, Kan.
Game Notes (PDF)
Live Video
Live Audio
Live Statistics
McPherson, Kan. - The No. 7 McPherson College men’s basketball team looks to continue its positive momentum into the holiday break, as the Bulldogs welcome No. 25 University of Saint Mary to the McPherson Sport Center this Saturday, Dec. 10.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. (CT) and will be streamed live via the KCAC Broadcast Network and on Macbulldogs.com. Additional coverage will be provided by 96.7 FM KBBE MidKansas Radio with Nick Gosnell and former Bulldog head coach Roger Trimmell on the call. A link to their live audio will also be available at Macbulldogs.com.
McPherson, which comes into the weekend matchup with a 13-1 record and 3-0 mark in conference play, received another strong effort from
Aaron Frazier (McPherson, Kan.), who poured in a season-high 25 points and added six rebounds, one steal and one blocked shot in the Bulldogs 64-55 victory against Sterling College on Thursday.
In addition to Frazier,
Samson Shivers (Houston, Texas) posted his ninth straight double-digit scoring game with 15 points on 4-of-9 shooting, while
Jordan Crawford (McPherson, Kan.) grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for his seventh game of at least 10 boards.
As a team, McPherson overcame a 25.8 percent (8-of-31) field goal percentage in the first half to shoot 35.0 percent (21-of-60) from the field to go along with a 78.3 percent (18-for-23) free throw percentage. Defensively, the Bulldogs forced 17 Warrior turnovers, while outrebounding SC, 46-36.
No. 25 Saint Mary comes in with a 9-2 record on the season, including a 2-1 mark in league play following a 69-63 loss at Southwestern on Thursday. The setback snapped an eight game win streak that propelled the Spires into the NAIA Division II Coaches’ Top 25 for the first time in recent history. USM’s only other loss of the season came on Nov. 8 when they were defeated by Haskell Indian Nations, 70-79.
Following Saint Mary, McPherson returns to the floor on Friday, Dec. 16 when they travel to Kansas City, Mo. to play NCAA division II Rockhurst University at 6 p.m. (CT). The contest is slated as an exhibition, so the result will not affect the Bulldogs regular season record. McPherson opens its post-holiday season on Jan. 2 when they host York (Neb.) at 8 p.m.
Scouting Saint Mary
Saint Mary comes to McPherson with the No. 25 ranking the latest NAIA poll and owns a 9-2 record on the season, including a 2-1 mark in KCAC play. The Spires, however, saw their eight-game win streak snapped Thursday night in a 63-69 loss at Southwestern. USM’s only other loss on the season came on Nov. 8 when they fell to Haskell, 70-79.
Against Southwestern, the Spires shot a respectable 40.6 percent (26-of-64) from the field, including seven 3-pointers. However, USM was outrebounded by the Moundbuilders 42-31 and committed 28 personal fouls, which led to 18 Southwestern points. Saint Mary held a 33-28 advantage at the half, but were outscored 41-30 in the second period.
On the season, the Spires average 86.9 points per game on a 42.1 percent success rate from the floor. Additionally, Saint Mary possesses one of the NAIA’s top 3-point shooting offenses as the Spires entered the week ranked fifth in 3-point field goals made per game (10.1) and sixth in total 3-point field goals made.
Individually, transfer guard Jordan Wilcox leads the team with 14.0 points per game of the bench this season, including a season-high 24 points against Baker on Nov. 11. Wilcox, who is shooting a team-best 87.2 percent from the free throw line, entered the week with a six-game double figure scoring streak.
Joining Wilcox in double-digits are guards Kevin Harvey and JEB Greenberg. Harvey ranks second on the team with 10.7 points per game, while leading the squad with 26 3-pointers. Greenberg, a 2011 All-KCAC honorable mention selection, is third amongst the trio at 10.3 points per game, but leads the team with 44 free throws.
On the defensive end, Saint Mary is allowing opponents an average of 70.2 points per game, which ranks fourth in the KCAC.
In their last meeting...
McPherson, Kan. – McPherson’s dominance of late continued as the Bulldogs College upended the University of Saint Mary, 83-57, at the McPherson Sport Center Thursday night. Led by a pair of 20-point performances from juniors Aaron Frazier (McPherson, Kan.) and Jordan Crawford (McPherson, Kan.), the Bulldogs earned their ninth straight win.
With the victory, McPherson improves to 17-11 overall and 11-6 in conference play, while the Spires fall to 16-13 overall and 9-8 in KCAC action.
The former McPherson High School teammates paced McPherson’s offense in the 26-point victory. Frazier tallied a career-high 28 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including a 9-of-10 effort from the free throw line, while Crawford recorded 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field.
Senior guard Trent Severs (Inman, Kan.) matched a season best with 10 assists, while freshman Samson Shivers (Houston, Texas) pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.
USM had two players score in double-figures led by 15 points from sophomore guard Jeb Greenberg. Senior guard Brandon Coleman, who entered the night leading the KCAC in scoring, was held to 13 points.
McPherson grabbed its first lead of the game with a 9-0 run early in the first period to give the Bulldogs an 11-5 advantage at the 13:48 mark. Late in the period, Frazier would spark an 11-3 run with a 3-point play to give MC a 36-26 advantage with 2:07 left in the period. He would go 4-for-4 from the free throw line during the stretch.
However, USM would close out the half with seven straight points to pull within three, 36-33, at the break.
The Bulldogs connected on 53.8 percent of its shots in the opening 20 minutes and was 6-of-9 from the free throw line. The Spires were 10-of-14 from the free throw line to make up shooting just 34.5 percent.
Saint Mary hung within seven over the first six minutes of the second half, but a 10-3 McPherson run, including five points from Frazier, put the home team back up by double digits, 63-48, with 8:25 left. The run led to a USM timeout.
Following the timeout, Spire forward Nick White muscled a well contested basket in the paint, but the Bulldogs answered back with possibly the biggest shot of the night when Shivers buried a 3-pointer from the wing and was fouled in the process. Shivers converted the free throw and following a Spire turnover connected on a second straight 3-pointer to spark a MC run.
The Bulldogs would outscore USM down the stretch 17-7 to earn the 26 point victory.
