Men's Basketball | 1/20/2012 7:11:00 PM
Game 22: No. 6 McPherson College (19-2, 8-1) vs. Bethel College (1-17, 1-8)
Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012 | 7 p.m. (CT) | McPherson Sport Center | McPherson, Kan.
Game Notes (PDF)
Live Video
Live Stats
McPherson, Kan. - The No. 6 McPherson College men’s basketball team opens the second round of its KCAC schedule, as the Bethel College Threshers come to McPherson for a matchup with the Bulldogs. Tipoff at the McPherson Sport Center is set for 7 p.m. (CT).
The KCAC Broadcast Network and Macbulldogs.com will provide live video coverage, but due to a scheduling conflict with the local high school basketball tournament an audio feed will not be available. A link to live statistics can also be found at Macbulldogs.com.
McPherson, who enters the weekend 19-2 on the season and 8-1 in KCAC play, turned in arguably its best second half effort since before Christmas Thursday night at Bethany. After entering the locker room trailing 38-32 to end the first half, McPherson exploded for 50 points in the second period, including a 26-2 run that spanned more than eight minutes en route to the 82-64 victory. Guards Aaron Frazier and Samson Shivers led four Bulldogs in double figures with 22 points each. Additionally, Frazier grabbed eight rebounds and dished out two assists.
The victory extended MC’s win streak to four games and was the first time the Bulldogs have reached the 80-point plateau since Jan. 2 against York (Neb.).
On the season, McPherson averages 79.2 points per game on 43.2 percent shooting as a team. Frazier leads the squad in scoring at 17.1 points per game, while also pacing the team with 40 steals and 18 blocked shots. In the last three ball games, he averages 19.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
Bethel has struggled to this point in the season, owning a 1-17 overall record and 1-8 mark in league play. BC’s only victory of the season came on Dec. 3 when they defeated Kansas Wesleyan, 70-68. Since that loss, the Threshers have lost 11 straight, including a 76-58 defeat at nationally ranked Southwestern on Thursday.
McPherson claimed the first meeting between the two sides in decisive fashion, 82-47.
After Bethel, McPherson wraps up its two-game home stand on Jan. 26 against Tabor College. Tipoff between the Bulldogs and Blue Jays is scheduled for 8 p.m.
Scouting Bethel
Bethel comes to town with a 1-17 record, including a 1-8 mark in KCAC play following a 76-58 loss at nationally ranked Southwestern College on Thursday night. The loss is the 11th straight for the Threshers, who picked up their only victory of the season on Dec. 3 against Kansas Wesleyan University, 70-68.
Against Southwestern, Bethel failed to slow the high-powered Builder offense, which finished the night shooting 54.8 percent (23-of-42) from the field and outscored the Threshers 29-7 at the free throw line. Bethel ended the contest shooting 35.6 percent (21-of-59) and was led in scoring by guard Justin Baldia’s 16 points.
On the season, Bethel is scoring an average of 59.3 points per game on a 37.0 percent success rate from the field. Opponents have outscored the Threshers 1401-1068 on the season, including 727-561 in the second period.
Guard Lee Griffin is the lone bright spot for the Bethel offense, as he averages a team-best 13.3 points per game on 35.8 percent shooting, while also leading the squad with 38 assists and 17 steals. Griffin ranks second on the team in rebounding with 3.3 boards per contest.
After McPherson, Bethel returns to action on Thursday, Jan. 28, when they host Kansas Wesleyan at 7 p.m. (CT).
In their last meeting...
North Newton, Kan. (12/01/11) – 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.
