Men's Basketball | 11/30/2012 3:35:00 PM
McPherson, Kan. – After one of the worst halves in recent history for the Bulldog basketball program, MC almost fought back and overtook the Swedes but lost 74-67 on Thursday. Now McPherson will play host to 1-9 Tabor College on Saturday, December 1; tipoff will be at 7:00 p.m. (CT) in the Sport Center.
The contest will be broadcasted live in the McPherson area on 96.7 FM KBBE Mid-Kansas Radio and at Macbulldogs.com with Nick Gosnell on the call with former McPherson basketball coach Roger Trimmell doing the color commentary. Steve Sell will join the broadcast with halftime and postgame insight and analysis. You can also watch the game via ihigh.com/macbulldogs. All links to live game statistics, audio or video can be found at Macbulldogs.com
The opening period of the game against Bethany left MC puzzled and scrambling to correct their errors. The Swedes started the game with a very aggressive style of play that led to turnovers and quick shots by McPherson. All of the miscues by the Bulldogs gave BC the halftime advantage 44-31. Senior forward Jake Reinhardt was the lone bright spot for MC as he made 3-of-3 from the field and 3-of-3 from the free throw line; unfortunately, he would not score for the remainder of the game.
The game was much closer in the second half, as the Bulldogs were brought the game to single digits early in the period and then stayed within a handful for the remainder of the game. Try as they might, McPherson was never able to take the lead as Bethany knocked in their free throw attempts down the stretch, giving them the 74-67 victory.
Brian Johnson came off the bench and scored 13 points to lead McPherson in scoring; he was 6-of-10 from the field but just 1-of-5 from the free throw line. Mason Hewitt recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds in his best game of the season. Devirous Johnson put up 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting and a perfect 4-of-4 from the stripe.
Sampson Shivers had an off night as he only scored two points, both coming from the charity stripe; he went 0-of-8 from the field and was just 2-of-6 from the free throw line while committing seven turnovers, six of which came in the first half. This is the first time in Shivers’ collegiate career that he was held to zero field goals in a game and only the fifth time he’s been held to under five points.
The Bulldogs will take the trek out to Ottawa, Kansas for their next game. They’ll take on the Braves of Ottawa University on December 6th at 8:00 p.m. (CT)
Scouting Tabor
The Blue Jays have had a rough start to their 2013-13 season, losing their first seven games and their previous two, putting them at 1-9. Their squad is a young one with plenty of freshmen getting double-digit playing time; their youth can turn positive as the year progresses or a negative if their inexperience proves too great to overcome.
In their first KCAC game of the season, Tabor hosted Sterling College and was defeated 71-62. It was a very evenly matched game but SC’s ability to convert their free throw attempts proved to be the difference. TC shot the ball 72 times, 10 more that the Warriors, but was only able to hit 25 of them for a 34.7 percentage. 25 shots were hoisted up from deep by the Blue Jays, only six found the bottom of the net. Tabor led the turnover contest by only committing 11, 10 of which were stolen by the Warriors; they had 11 assists as well, two more than Sterling.
Nick Sauer was TC’s leading scorer on Thursday with his 12 points on 4-of-10 from the field and 3-of-3 from the free throw line. Ryan Chippeaux, Tabor’s top returner, hit on 5-of-8 field goal attempts but was just 1-of-4 from the stripe; he totaled eight rebounds, seven on the defensive end, to lead the team.
The Blue Jays are losing by an average five points per game; they have a 37.8% effective rate of hitting their shots, bottom of the conference, and average 66.6 points each contest, second worst in the KCAC. A conference-low 28.1 percentage from distance is keeping Tabor from winning some of their tight contests. TC leads the KCAC and is ranked 15th in the NAIA D-II in total steals with 89 and is averaging 8.9 per game.
Chippeaux is grabbing the sixth most rebounds in D-II as he has 97 for the season; his average of 9.7 per game is 10th best in the Nation. Chippeaux averages 13.2 points a game which leads the Blue Jays and also has a team-high 10 blocks. Reggie Butler has been coming off the bench to give TC a scoring boost and averages 10.86 points per contest.
The Blue Jays’ second home KCAC contest of the season awaits them after their tangle with McPherson. The Swedes of Bethany College will travel to Hillsboro, Kansas on December 6th for the 8:00 showdown.
