Men's Basketball | 11/22/2013 11:08:00 AM
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McPherson, Kan. – After picking up back-to-back losses, McPherson basketball rebounded earlier this week with an 89-84 win over cross-town rival Central Christian. The 'Dogs now look to keep the momentum rolling as they travel to play NAIA Division-I Baker University on November 23
rd for a 4:00 p.m. (CT) contest.
The first half with Central was a close 20 minutes; four ties and five lead changes kept things interesting between the two clubs. The Tigers started to gain traction in the waning minutes of the period as they put together an 8-0 run but Mac charged right back with a 16-1 surge to put them on top 39-30 heading into the locker room.
MC went 50% from the floor in the opening half, bucketing 13-of-26 with 4-of-7 being counted from downtown; they made 9-of-10 from the charity stripe, hitting their final nine. Central Christian drained 10-of-32 field goals and shot just six free throws, making four.
McPherson extended their lead to double-digits in the first couple minutes of the second but CCC brought it back to five shortly thereafter. The Bulldogs put together an 11-0 run which put them in front 16, giving them the largest lead of the night. Central Christian continued to push and slowly cut into Mac's lead; with five minutes to play, the Tigers were back within striking distance at 70-64. MC kept CCC at bay just long enough as time ran out with the 'Dogs winning 89-84, taking back the metaphorical Key to McPherson.
The sharp-shooting Bulldogs posted a 60.7 field goal percentage in the second half, cashing in on 17-of-28 including 3-of-7 from behind the arc; they went 13-of-21 from the foul line. Central Christian made 18-of-38 from the floor and was 8-of-20 from deep; they also shot a near perfect 10-of-11 from the stripe.
The Bulldogs ended the night making 30-of-54 field goals with 50% of their 14 three balls making their way to the bottom of the net; a 71% free throw percentage was recorded by Mac as they cashed in on 22-of-31. With all the makes in the game, there were few rebounds to be had; MC pulled in 38 but had just nine offensive boards. 19 assists, eight steals and 53 points in the paint were tallied by the 'Dogs in their win.
Samson Shivers ended the night with 27 points making 9-of-13 field goals with 5-of-6 free throws going in. Joey Powers played well for MC, netting 15 points, six boards and three assists. Brian BJ Johnson also hit double-digits with his 13 points as he made half of his 12 shots but was just 1-of-5 from the stripe. Devirous Johnson continued to improve on his NAIA second best rebounds per game; he is averaging close to 13 an outing and hauled in 14 on Tuesday while scoring eight points and grabbing three steals.
Bulldogs in the National rankings: D. Johnson leads the NAIA in total rebounds (90), is second in rebounds per game (12.857), fourth in defensive rebounds a contest (8.143) and accumulates a fifth place 4.614 offensive boards an outing. Shivers is 32
nd in the country in three balls made with 19 and 43
rd in makes from long range per game at 2.714.
Following Thanksgiving, McPherson will travel to Oklahoma for the Saint Gregory's Classic on November 29
th and 30
th; Mac will play the University of Science and Arts on Friday at 6:00 p.m. and Saint Gregory's University on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.
Scouting Baker
The Wildcats are 2-2 thus far in the season, losing their first two games and then winning their next two; one of the defeats came at the hands of the KCAC's University of Saint Mary while both wins were against KCAC teams with the most recent being at home against the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes.
It was a tight first half between Baker and KWU with just one-point separating the two squads after 20 minutes of play; the Coyotes were on top 31-30 at the break. After shooting 30% in the opening period, BU went off in the second, bucketing nearly 60 percent of their 32 attempts. Needless to say, Kansas Wesleyan could not keep pace, giving the Wildcats a 20-point 83-63 win.
Baker ended the night making 28-of-62 with 50% of their six three balls going in; an impressive 24-of-29 showing from the charity stripe was recorded by BU. KWU bucketed 22-of-62 from the floor and made 3-of-11 three pointers each half for a 27.3 percentage (6-of-22) for the game; they converted 13-of-17 free throws. The Wildcats pulled down 47 rebounds to Kansas Wesleyan's 34. Baker took the ball away from the Coyotes 12 times and forced 20 total turnovers.
Javeion Gray entered the game from the bench to lead all scoring with 16 points on 5-of-8 field goals and a perfect 6-of-6 from the foul line. EJ Carter saw 5-of-9 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the stripe fall for his 15 points; he also netted a team-high 10 rebounds. Three Wildcats, Todd Johnson, Jared Fulks, and Eric Watson, scored 10 in the game; Watson also tallied 10 rebounds to tie him with Carter for most on the team.
This season Baker is averaging over 80 points an outing with 41.7% of their shot attempts falling through; they make an average of 5.2 three pointers a game, seeing 36.3 percent of their shots from deep counted. The Wildcats tend to lose the rebounding battle, hauling in just 35 a contest. They total 8.75 assists, 14.75 turnovers and 9.0 steals each time they hit the court.
Carter is the team leader in scoring this year, totaling nearly 20 points every game while making 53.1 percent from the floor; he also leads the squad in rebounds with an average of 9.0. Jauan Wilson is the only other Baker player to average double figures; he is also second on the team in total field goals with 20. The three-point shooter for BU is Johnson who has made nine in the team's four games.
Baker plays Ottawa University for the second time of the year for their next contest.
