Women's Basketball | 12/7/2012 9:58:00 AM
McPherson, Kan. – Fresh off their 67-62 win over the Lady Braves of Ottawa University, MC will look to carry the momentum gained into their matchup with No. 24 Southwestern College, the KCAC’s first place squad. Tipoff of the conference matchup is set for 5:00 p.m. (CT) in Winfield, Kansas on December 8th.
The game will be broadcasted live in the McPherson area on 96.7 FM KBBE Mid-Kansas Radio and on the world wide web at Macbulldogs.com with Nick Gosnell on the call with Steve Sell providing the color commentary for the broadcast. 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
Against OU, both McPherson and the Braves started the game with a back-and-forth style of play, neither team gaining momentum. Ottawa got up by a small handful of points around the five minute mark but a 13-0 MC run put the Bulldogs up 17-9. The lead would stay with McPherson for the rest of the half; they led 32-22 as the buzzer sounded.
For the first half of the second period, Mac kept their advantage over the 10-point mark but back-to-back threes from downtown brought the Braves within six points. OU would stay down by a few points until they took their first lead of the half with around four minutes left on the clock. Ottawa stayed in control for the next few minutes but a field goal by Cheyenne Eisenhour gave the Lady ‘Dogs the lead for good with 1:20 remaining. MC hit their shots down the stretch giving them their 67-62 victory.
McPherson ended the game with a 40.7 field goal percentage but was just 3-of-9 from beyond the arc; a 69.7 percentage was recorded by the Bulldogs from the free throw line. The Lady Braves made 44.2% of their attempts in the loss and were 9-of-12 from the charity stripe, 7-of-22 from distance. MC was huge on the glass, pulling down 42 rebounds, 19 of which were on the offensive end; OU was only able to hull in 28 boards. Mac also won the turnover battle as they committed two fewer turnovers than Ottawa’s 15; McPherson also recorded 11 assists.
MC’s leading scorer for the season, Brittany Pittas, led the team on Thursday with her 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including 3-of-4 from the three-point line. Starters Kaylee Cramer, Ali Brewster and Madison Chambers each totaled 10 points in the victory; Chambers also grabbed 11 rebounds, five offensive, for the game’s only double-double. Fellow starter Eisenhour had an even playing game as she had six rebounds, five points, and four assists.
Pittas is currently ranked fifth in the NAIA D-II in total three pointers made with 33 and eighth in shots made from deep per game with three; she is first in the conference in both those categories. Pittas sits 12th in the Nation in total scoring with her 194 points which is tops in the KCAC.
Two non-conference games round out the 2012 year for McPherson as they travel to Wichita, Kansas for an exhibition contest against the Newman University Lady Jets on December 15th at 2:00 p.m. (CT). They follow up that game with a contest against Baker University on December 29th.
Scouting Southwestern
The NAIA D-II’s 24th ranked Lady Builders are 6-4 and currently riding a four-game winning streak. The KCAC’s preseason favorite has taken down the three conference opponents they’ve faced this year, beginning with the Falcons of Friends University (80-63), then the Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes (85-56), and most recently Sterling College (75-40). Friends was thought to be the other top-seed in the KCAC while KWU was picked fourth and Sterling third.
Southwestern showcased their defense against the Lady Warriors this past Thursday, holding SC to just 15 field goals on 61 attempts for a 24.6 shooting percentage; Sterling also went 0-of-7 from the three-point arc and 10-of-15 from the free throw line. SWC put up an unprecedented 72 shots, converting 28 of them, hitting 38.9% of their attempts from the floor. The Moundbuilders went 9-of-26 from deep and 10-of-16 from the stripe. 51 total rebounds, 14 off of the offensive glass, were pulled in by Southwestern; Sterling had 44 boards in the loss.
The Lady Builders’ top returner Zefiryn Bryan scored 16 points on 7-of-14 from the field and 2-of-5 from the charity stripe; the forward also grabbed 11 rebounds for her first double-double of the year. Annjelina Robinson and Jessica Hobbs both doubled their season average to score 10 points apiece; Hobbs hit 3-of-4 from distance and 1-of-2 from the free throw line for her total.
73.2 points, the highest in the KCAC, are averaged by SWC this season; they are making 39.2% of their field goals and 30.1 percent from behind the three-point line. The team is winning by conference-leading 8.2 points per game. 41.4 rebounds are hulled in by the Builders a game but they are allowing 40 a contest to be rebounded against them. As a team, Southwestern has recorded 42 blocks which puts them first in the KCAC and 12th in the NAIA D-II.
Bryan leads the team with 12.6 points a game and has hit 46.1% of her 102 attempts; she also averages 6.2 rebounds and has 62 for the season. Trinicia Shaffer has 26 steals, 27th in the NAIA, and 38 assists which are both bests for SWC and second and third, respectively, in the conference.
A trip to Wales, Florida is next for SWC as they will take on the Warner Royals on December 15th.
