Women's Basketball | 2/17/2012 5:29:00 PM
Game Notes
Live Audio
Live Video
Live Statistics
McPherson, Kan. – After a tough fought loss to Ottawa on Thursday, McPherson has one game remaining for their regular season. The Swedes of Bethany College make their way down highway 81 to McPherson, Kan. for a Saturday night showdown against the Lady Bulldogs. This game is Senior/Alumni night and set for a 5 p.m. (CT) start time in the McPherson Sport Center.
The game will be shown live on the KCAC Broadcast Network and at Macbulldogs.com. The contest will also 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.
McPherson is coming off a rough game this past Thursday where MC was in the game from the beginning, owning the lead for a good portion of the opening period and taking a 29-27 lead into halftime. It wasn’t until the final six minutes of the game that OU kenneled the Bulldogs with some physical inside post-play. The Braves stretched their lead just out of the reach of the McPherson, winning 68-54.
Brittany Pittas had a good showing in the first period, going 2-of-3 from behind the arc and scoring 9. But she, much like the rest of the Bulldogs, went cold in the second ending the game with 12 points. Madison Chambers and Taylor Puttergill each added 10 to the losing effort; Chambers was able to grab 10 boards for her first double-double of the season.
It was a tale of two halves for MC when it came to shooting. They were able to hit 50 percent of all their shots in the first period and even went 5-of-5 from the free-throw line. In the second however, McPherson went ice-cold from long range, missing all 9 of their attempts. Their inaccuracy didn’t stop at the three-point line; the Bulldogs hit on only 22.2 percent of their total shots that half. From the charity stripe, MC dropped off a bit, they went 13-of-16 with their first miss coming with seven minutes to play.
The Bulldogs are 13-14 overall and are sixth place in the KCAC at 8-9; they hold a one game lead on seventh place Bethel who is behind McPherson at 7-10. Regardless of what happens, MC will be the sixth seed in the upcoming conference tournament as they hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Bethany comes into the Sport Center on a seven-game losing streak with their last win coming nearly a month ago. They most recently lost to Southwestern College 44-73; that 44 point showing was the fifth worst of the year. BC is ranked at the bottom of the conference with at 1-16 KCAC record, with the lone win coming against Kansas Wesleyan on Jan. 21; they are 4-24 overall.
Once the Bulldogs face Bethany, they will await to find out if their opponent will be Kansas Wesleyan University or Sterling College. As the sixth seed, McPherson will play at the third seed Wednesday, Feb. 22
nd at 5 p.m. (CT)
Scouting Bethany
After the 29 point defeat to Southwestern, Bethany will have to regroup as they prepare to take on the KCAC’s third leading scoring team in the Bulldogs.
The Loss to SWC continued the Swedes’ lackluster season. The team is averaging 50.36 points per game which is a KCAC low. Against the Builders, BC was only able to shoot 25.9 percent from the field which is eight percent below their season average. They are also giving up an average 65.39 points per game, second worst in the KCAC, three points ahead of McPherson.
In their matchup against the Builders, Bethany couldn’t seem to get anything to fall for them, going 15-of-58 from the field and only 2-of-16 from long range. They did post an above season percentage from the free-throw line, shooting 66.7 percent.
Tasha Wagoner was the team’s only double figure scorer with 15; she is also the only Swede to average double figures with 12.11 a game. Despite shooting the ball the same amount of times as Wagoner (12), guard Kendra Austin was only able to convert once and ended with three points.
This season has been a tough season for Bethany as most of their scoring averages are in the five to six point range. Wagoner is not only the team’s leading scorer but she leads BC in rebounds, assists, free-throws attempted and made and shots attempted and made.
As a team, Bethany ranks in the bottom three of the KCAC in nearly every statistical category with the exception of fouls per game and defensive field goal percentage. They are third and fifth respectively in those two classifications.
This will be Bethany’s final game of the year as they will not advance to post-season tournament play.
