Men's Basketball | 12/13/2013 11:39:00 AM
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McPherson, Kan. – After a devastating 81-77 overtime loss on Thursday to Sterling College, the Bulldogs now must try to get back on track this Saturday, December 14 as they play host to the 7-2 Friends University Falcons at 7:00 p.m. (CT) with JV getting underway at 3:00. Saturday will be Community Appreciation Night for McPherson College; admission is free, there will be halftime performances of the varsity games and Santa Clause will be available for photos.
On Thursday, things started very well for McPherson as they jumped out to a 20-8 advantage. A few bad trips gave Sterling hope and, despite trailing for most of the half, the Warriors got on top with just over two minutes left in the period. SC ended the half ahead 31-27 after scoring four of the final five points. Mac converted 11-of-31 with a couple from downtown and made a mere 2-of-9 from the charity stripe. SC made 11 shots as well but connected on five from behind the arc; they also had trouble from the foul line, making just 4-of-11.
Sterling kept their slight advantage for most of the second period, allowing MC to tie things once; the lead was at double-digits for the majority of the half. As things were closing out, The Bulldogs scored 11-straight giving them a 62-57 advantage with only 12 seconds remaining in regulation. SC scored from range with 7.9 left to pull within two. A 1-of-2 showing from the stripe gave the Warriors one last chance; in the final seconds, another three-ball tied things up and forced overtime. In OT, the Bulldogs were outscored 9-5 in the first two minutes and never recovered from the four-point deficit. Six of the last eight free throws fell for SC as they snuck out of McPherson with an 81-77 win.
At the end of the day, McPherson was 27-of-72 with just 5-of-24 from distance and 18-of-30 from the foul line. They pulled down 53 rebounds, one less than Sterling, and claimed 15 offensive boards. 18 assists and 16 turnovers were tabbed by Mac as were five blocks and nine steals. 43 points in the paint were recorded in the loss.
Shivers bucketed 21 points on a 6-of-13 night, 3-of-7 from behind the arc; he also made 6-of-7 free throws. TJ Grant entered the game from the bench and scored 18 with the bulk coming in the winding minutes of the game; he connected on just 4-of-14 from the floor but was 9-of-10 from the stripe. Devirous Johnson started hot for Mac, scoring 10 of the first 15 Bulldog points but cooled off after that, closing out the game with 12 points along with a team-high 12 rebounds. Joey Powers was the final 'Dog in double figures with his 11 points; he also netted 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the year.
Mac in the National Rankings: With their 558 total rebounds, the 'Dogs are 7th in the NAIA D-II. They place 14th in offensive rebounds and total rebounds a game with 14.154 and 42.923, respectively. Johnson is still first in the Nation in total rebounds, 161, second in defensive boards per contest, 8.462, second in total rebounds a game, 12.385, and seventh in offensive rebounds an outing, 3.923. Shivers is 13th in total makes from downtown with 37 and 27th in total scoring with his 231 points.
Bulldog basketball is off for a few weeks following their contest with Friends. Their next competition will be on January 3rd when they face Baker University in their opening game of the Mac Classic.
Scouting Friends
The Falcon team started the year 0-2 but has since won seven-straight including three against KCAC teams; their most recent win was an 87-80 defeat of the University of Saint Mary in Wichita.
It was a surprisingly low scoring first half for these two high-octane squads; they went into their respective locker rooms all square at 31 apiece. In the second period, scoring heated up and Friends held on down the stretch for their 87-80 victory. The Falcons were able to make 30-of-58 for the game with 8-of-17 falling from deep and 19-of-24 from the charity stripe. On the other sideline, USM connected on 25-of-53 but were just 4-of-21 from behind the arc; the Spires made 26-of-32 from the foul line in the loss. Friends tabbed just 28 rebounds but held Saint Mary to 20. The Falcons totaled 14 assists and 14 turnovers while stealing nine.
Joe Mitchell was the leading scorer for Friends as he netted 31 points on 12-of-23 from the field and 6-of-7 from the stripe; he also had a team-high seven turnovers. Next on the scoring list was Colton Rausch who bucketed 16 on 4-of-6 field goals and 7-of-9 free throws. Zach Nelson put in 4-of-8 from the floor including three from range and also made 4-of-6 foul shots for his 15 to round out the double-digit scorers for the Falcons.
This year Friends totals 84 points a game and has a positive 7.9 score margin; they have hit 50.2 percent of their field goals, making 261 in their nine games. From beyond the arc, they make 41.5% (5th in the Nation) with 10.8 going through a contest, second in the NAIA. 74.5% of the team's 137 foul shots have gone in this season. The Falcons only net 27 boards each time they play but allow less than 30, due to their high field goal percentage. 14.6 assists, 12.33 turnovers and 9.22 steals are tabulated each time the club plays a game.
Mitchel is averaging 30.6 points per game, first in the NAIA D-II; he is making 56.6 percent from the field, has shot a team-high 66 foul shots, and leads the way in rebounds with 5.2 an outing. Rausch is second in the country in three-point percentage at 60.4 and has made a team leading 32 on the year; he tallies 18.4 points a contest while making 66.3 from the floor. Nelson also hits the 10+ mark on a regular basis; he is averaging 11.9 in his nine starts.
William Penn University will travel to Wichita, Kansas for Friends' next affair.
