Men's Basketball | 1/17/2013 12:09:00 PM
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McPherson, Kan. – The men’s basketball team had a rough go around the first time they traveled through the conference, posting a 1-8 record which is the worst since the 1982-83 season. The second round is set to begin on Saturday as inner-county rival Bethany College comes to town for a 7:00 p.m. (CT) start time.
The game will be broadcasted live in the McPherson area on 95.5 FM The Rock and at www.salina-radio.com. Click on 95.5 The Rock and scroll down to listen live to the broadcast. This is Bethany Swede Radio, we will have 96.7 KBBE back broadcasting next Wednesday.
You can always watch the game via ihigh.com/macbulldogs. All links to live game statistics, audio or video can be found at Macbulldogs.com
In their most recent unsettling loss, getting down early, something that seems to have become their MO, took the Bulldogs’ chance of putting away the formerly KCAC defeated Bethel College Threshers in the first half. The opening period was a mess for both squads as neither one seemed to want to take control and run away with things. The score was tied at 31-31 when the halftime buzzer sounded, amping up the excitement for the second period.
Only one basket was scored by McPherson in the first five minutes of the second half, giving Bethel the opportunity to jump out in front, which they did, getting up by as many as 12 by the 10-minute mark. A few timeouts and heart-to-heart conversations from Mac’s Coach Swartzendruber finally brought the Bulldogs to life. MC pulled the score closer with tough defense and better shot selection on the offensive end; the game was tied at 55 with just under six minutes left on the scoreboard. In the game’s final minutes six points was the largest margin either team held; a layup by McPherson tied the game with 14 seconds remaining, giving BC the ball with a chance for the win. The inability to box out on the defensive glass gave McPherson, Kansas native Cody Cape an offensive rebound that he banked in, giving the Threshers the 65-63 victory.
Mac ended the game 25-of-71 from the field with 5-of-21 falling through from deep; despite the physicality of the game, just 12 free throws were taken by McPherson, they made eight. Bethel shot slightly better, making 39.1 percent of their 69 attempts; 7-of-11 from the stripe was tallied by the Threshers. The Bulldogs were outrebounded 31-29 but won the turnover battle as they committed just 13 to BC’s 16.
Joey Powers gave McPherson a burst off the bench and scored a team-high 13 points on 5-of-6 from the field and 2-of-4 from the stripe. Mason Hewitt scored 12 while shooting 6-of-14; he also grabbed six rebounds in the loss. Darius Hill led the team in rebounds with eight to go along with his six points. Sampson Shivers struggled to find the bottom of the basket as he went 1-of-13 from the floor and 1-of-2 from the stripe for four points.
Following their game on Saturday, Tabor College is next on the list for McPherson as they travel to Hillsboro, Kansas on January 23rd for an 8:00 p.m. (CT) showdown.
Scouting Bethany
The Swedes are 3-6 in the KCAC and just took down one of the top teams in Sterling College on Wednesday night 78-73. BC is 7-10 for the season and has gone 3-7 since the last time they faced McPherson.
Against the Warriors, Bethany took advantage of being at home as they drained 50 percent of their field goals, making 27-of-54 including 6-of-16 from downtown; 18-of-25 free throws made it through the net for BC. Sterling also did a nice job of hitting their shot attempts, cashing in on 27-of-58 from the floor but they made just 14-of-22 from the stripe. The Swedes narrowly edged SC on the boards, grabbing two more as they pulled down 30.
Bethany’s Jordan Bieberle came off the bench and surprised everyone with his team-high 22 points; he hit 7-of-10 from the floor including four three balls to go along with his 4-of-5 night from the charity stripe. Ray Purtle and Trey Beachum each totaled 14 points in the victory; Purtle got half his points from the free throw line as he bucketed 7-of-8 while Beachum made 7-of-13 from the floor. Also a bench player, Seth Nelson totaled 10 points for the squad’s final double-digit scorer.
BC is putting in just over 70 points a game, relying on 21 points from deep as they make an average of 7.4 while hitting 32.9% from behind the arc. They lead the conference in scoring defense as they allow just 67 points a contest. Only 34.5 rebounds per game are tallied by the Swedes, they typically are outrebounded each time they play. 17 turnovers a contest are given up by BC, placing them last in the KCAC; they do steal back a league-leading 9.2 on average. They also lead the conference in blocks per game, averaging 3.3 a game.
Purtle is averaging a KCAC third best 15.3 points every time he steps on the court, making 40.9% of his field goals; he has a team leading 43 three-point makes this season. Beachum’s scoring 11.3 points per game and has played a team-high 512 total minutes, averaging over 30 a contest. Seth Nelson is hulling in 4.5 rebounds an outing to go along with his 5.2 points.
Bethel College and the Threshers is next on the docket for Bethany after their competition with McPherson; they travel to North Newton, Kansas on January 23rd.
