Men's Basketball | 2/26/2012 5:54:00 PM
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McPherson Kan. – The McPherson College Men’s Basketball Team, with their 68-66 victory over Tabor College on Saturday, is now headed to the KCAC Championship Game. They will face the University of Saint Mary Spires for the third time this year at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kan. at 8 p.m. (CT)
Championship Monday radio coverage will be available through KGSO 1410 AM; 96.7 FM KBBE will not be broadcasting the game. Smoky Hills Public Television (SHPTV) will provide broadcast coverage of both games on Championship Monday, starting at 6:00 P.M. KPTS (Wichita), KTWU (Topeka), and KCPT (Kansas City) will also carry the live broadcasts and offer replay broadcasts of both games as well. The confluence of SHPTV, KPTS, KTWU, and KCPT brings live video coverage of Championship Monday to the entire state of Kansas and parts of Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. The game will also be shown live on the KCAC Broadcast Network and at Macbulldogs.com.
Saturday’s game against Tabor was a high intensity, aggressive game that came down to the final few seconds. After a back and forth matchup with neither team holding a sizeable lead for more than a few minutes, Samson Shivers delivered a deep three-ball to help McPherson take a 68-66 lead with under 30 seconds to play. Forward Chris Crawford rejected a running layup from Kyle Wallace to give MC the ball back with 8 seconds remaining. A poor pass by Crawford to senior Aaron Frazier gave the Blue Jays one last chance but Lawson Kingsley couldn’t convert a deep two, ending their season.
Shivers was a three-point machine, draining a career high seven from distance; he went 8-of-15 for the night, accumulating 24 points. Frazier added in 15 from 5-of-9 shooting and Crawford had 10 points.
The Bulldogs shot the ball very well from the field, hitting 45.6 percent of their total shots including going 12-23 in the second half. Their free-throw shooting struggled a bit as they were only able to make 5-of-10 from the line.
Monday night, 29-3 MC will travel down highway 135 to Hartman Arena to take on the 25-4 Saint Mary Spires for what should be a high scoring, fast paced, electrifying showdown for the KCAC Tournament Championship. After that game, regardless of the outcome, McPherson will represent the KCAC in the NAIA Division II National Tournament as they were the regular season conference champions. The national tournament is March 7-13 in Branson, Mo.
Scouting Saint Mary
The University of Saint Mary team defeated Ottawa University by 17 (87-70) on Saturday night to gain passage to Championship Monday. The Braves of OU kept it close until there were five minutes remaining, that’s when USM turned it on and took total control with a 10-0 run. They closed the game hitting 8-of-8 free-throws to keep the lead, winning 87-70.
The Spires had another great showing from their starting five, with four of them in double figures. Jordan Wilcox led the team with 21 points on 50% shooting, Chip Schneider had 18, Reggie Davis threw in 14 and Jeb Greenberg scored 13; Brandon Dougherty was the only USM starter not to reach double-digits, ending the night with zero points. Coming off the bench, Kevin Harvey hit 5-of-13 for 14 points.
The top scoring team of the KCAC (USM) continued to put points on the scoreboard shooting one percent higher than their season average (46.4) from the field. They were able to hit 16 of their 22 free-throws and went 34.6 percent from long range. The Spires also kept their turnovers below 10, ending the game with six.
Wilcox is the leading scorer for Saint Mary this season, racking up an average of 14.62 points per game ninth in the conference; he is also the KCAC’s leading free-throw shooter at 84.2 percent. Harvey (12.83) and Greenberg (12.12) are also averaging double figures this year; Harvey ranks fifth in the conference in three-point shots made per game with 2.45, Wilcox is third with 2.62. Dougherty leads the KCAC in steals per game (2.17), is tied with McPherson’s Frazier for first in total steals (63) and ranks second in both assists per game (4.62) and total assists (134).
The offense for USM has been a scoring machine this season, averaging 82.1 points per game and winning by an average of 12.1. They are shooting the ball from the field at 46.4% each time out and 36.9 percent from behind the arc. The Spires lead the KCAC in steals (9.1) and assists per game (16.24).
After Championship Monday, Saint Mary will also be heading to the NAIA Division II National Tournament to represent the KCAC. The national tournament is March 7-13 in Branson, Mo.
