Men's Basketball | 1/4/2013 2:27:00 PM
Game Notes
Live Audio
Live Video
Live Stats
McPherson, Kan. – The men’s basketball team of McPherson College is hoping to get on the winning track in the conference on Saturday, January 5 as they host the 6-9 Friends University Falcons; 7:00 p.m. (CT) is the scheduled start time for the competition.
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
A very talented team of Spires came down from Leavenworth, Kansas on Thursday to take on the, presently, 6-10 Bulldogs. The first part of the game was dominated by the University of Saint Mary as they started things out with a 10-point run that put Mac in the hole early; MC used another different starting lineup as they continue to search for chemistry. After the quick kick in the pants, McPherson started to play some defense and kept their deficit right around the double-digit mark; a three-point basket at the end of the half put the Spires up 30-15 which they took into the locker room.
Period number two felt like the game that everyone was hoping to see as a back-and-forth battle ensued by the two squads. Saint Mary kept their 15 point advantage for the majority of the half but couldn’t get it extended over 20 points as the Bulldogs would not go away. The closest MC got to USM was 11 points but by that time, Mac had to foul and hope that the Spires would miss their shots; unfortunately for the Bulldogs Saint Mary made their attempts from the stripe down the stretch, preserving their 87-73 win.
With such a remarkable second half shooting performance, MC was able to end the game with a 45% shooting percentage; they were 10-of-21 from behind the arc. Saint Mary went 28-of-49 from the floor and 9-of-19 from deep, improving on both their averages. With both teams hitting so many shots, only 65 rebounds were recorded in the game; MC won the battle of the glass with 33 boards.
Adam Bruner came in off the bench and missed only one field goal of his nine attempts and was 1-of-3 from the charity stripe; he finished the game with a career-high 19 points. Sampson Shivers, also coming into the game after not starting for the first time since his freshman year, scored 10 on just 3-of-5 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free throw line. Devirous Johnson and Kasey Miler, both starters, were close to the 10-ponit mark with nine and eight, respectively; Johnson also had eight rebounds to lead the team.
The KCAC tour continues for McPherson as they travel to Salina, Kan., to play the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes on January 10th at 8:00 p.m. (CT)
Scouting Friends
The 6-9 Falcon team comes into the game on a losing streak of three games, dropping two competitions to GPAC opponents and most recently an 87-75 contest to the Warriors of Sterling College.
In the game against SC, Friends led the game when it went into halftime and ended the contest 26-of-67 from the floor for a 38.8 shooting percentage; they made just five three balls and were 18-of-29 from the free throw line. Sterling went nearly 50% from the field as they drained 29-of-59 including six three point baskets; a 74.2 percentage from the charity stripe helped the Warriors preserve their victory. SC outrebounded Friends 46-32. The game had only 16 total turnovers, five of which belonged to the Falcons.
Four double digit scorers were not enough for Friends; Zach Nelson led the way with his 15 on 5-of-13 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 from the stripe. Junian Johnson entered the game from the bench and put in six baskets for 13 points; he also recorded eight rebounds which tied him with Jacob Simmonds for most rebounds on the team. Next on the list was Brandon Johnson who had 12 points and was followed by Thomas Bland who bucketed 10.
The Falcons average 68.9 points per outing, second worst in the KCAC. A 45.1 field goal percentage is averaged by Friends; they are also making 36.5% of their shots from downtown, draining over eight per contest which tops the conference. The Falcons have been having a difficult time on the glass this season as they are getting outrebounded by over three boards per game and average just under 33 per contest.
Colton Rausch, a forward, comes off the bench for Friends and leads the team in scoring with his 14.6 points per game while making 52.1% of his attempts; his 46-of-92 from deep puts his three point percentage at the top of the conference. Nelson is next on the squad with his 14.1 points an outing; he also leads the team in free throws made this season with 35. Anthony White is also averaging double-digits this season with his 13.5 points per contest while shooting a KCAC-high 61.6% from the field; he leads the Falcons in rebounds with 122 total and 8.7 each time he hits the court, ranking third in the league. Thomas Bland is grabbing 3.2 assists a game and has 45 for the year.
Lindsborg, Kansas is the location for the next Falcon basketball game as they take on the Swedes of Bethany College January 10th.
