Women's Basketball | 12/6/2013 1:52:00 PM
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McPherson, Kan. – Following their 70-46 smashing of Bethel College in the opening game of conference play, Lady Bulldog basketball now travels to Leavenworth, Kansas for a Saturday afternoon showdown with the Spires of the University of Saint Mary; start time for the December 7
th contest is set for 3:00 p.m. (CT)
In their annihilation of the Threshers on Thursday, it was an ugly first few minutes for both teams as neither could find the bottom of the net; three minutes went by before the first point and four before the first basket. Once the scoring started, Bethel led for the first half of the period with the peak of 12 coming at nine minutes to play in the half. After a timeout called by the Bulldogs, Mac went on a 26-9 run to close out the period; they led 33-28 at the break. MC dropped 37.9% of their shots with three of their 12 from range going in as well as 8-of-14 from the foul line. Bethel hit just nine field goals which included four three balls; they made 6-of-12 from the charity stripe.
After halftime, McPherson maintained their lead but it stayed within a handful as both teams reverted to their non-scoring ways. The Lady 'Dogs finally got ahead by double figures by the 10-minute mark and stayed up by at least 10 for the rest of the contest; the lead was pushed to 20 points with a few minutes left. After it was all said and done, Mac took home a 70-46 victory. Remember that timeout that was called in the first half? After that TO, the Bulldogs outscored BC 63-27.
After their solid shooting performance in the second 20 minutes, the 'Dogs ended the contest making 43.1 percent of their attempts from the field; they went 4-of-18 from beyond the arc and cashed in on 22 of their 30 from the stripe. MC out boarded Bethel by 10, grabbing 46 rebounds with 12 off the offensive glass. They netted 11 assists, six steals and three blocks while turning the ball over 16 times. Mac could have defeated the Threshers with just their points in the paint as they recorded 51.
Aubrey Barton came alive in the second half, scoring 14 and ending the game with a game-high 19 points on 5-of-9 shooting with 9-of-11 free throws falling; she also tallied six rebounds. Sunny Smart closed out the contest with 15 points and a team-high 13 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. Bailey Brown added 13 points and six rebounds for Mac while Cami Engelbert scored 11 and also grabbed six boards. Every player that touched the court for McPherson scored in their lop-sided win.
McPherson in the National Rankings: The 'Dogs sit fifth in the NAIA D-II in defensive field goal percentage at 33.8 percent and are eighth in defensive rebounds per contest with 31.6. They also rank 11th in total offensive boards, 495, and are 20th in total rebounds a game, 45.0. Smart is now 18th in the Nation in free throw percentage at 88.2 percent, she's made 30-of-34 on the year.
A two-game home stand is on the docket for Mac next week as they host the Sterling College Warriors on December 12th and the Friends University Falcons on the 14th which is Community Appreciation Night in the Sport Center.
Scouting Saint Mary
USM, under first-year head coach Dayon Hall, won their opening game of the season, 85-68 over Central Christian, but have since lost six-straight. Their lone KCAC matchup of the year was played at home against the Southwestern College Moundbuilders this past Thursday; the Spires lost a close 76-68 contest.
In their competition against the Builders, Saint Mary kept close to KCAC preseason favorite Southwestern for the first few minutes but a mini-push by the Moundbuilders around the midway point put them in front by double-digits; SWC ended the half with a 43-25 lead and looked to be well on their way to an easy victory. In the second period, however, Saint Mary proved resilient. Southwestern continued to lead by nearly 20 points for the first 10 minutes but then the Lady Spires started their surge. Using a few runs, USM slowly picked away at their deficit and got it back to single figures with 2:30 to play. Unfortunately for Saint Mary, they ran out of time as the Builders held on for a 76-68 win.
USM outscored Southwestern 43-33 in the second half and ended the game with a 20-of-45 shooting night, connecting on 6-of-18 from behind the arc and an impressive 22-of-27 from the stripe. SWC struggled in the middle section of the final period and posted a 39.4 field goal percentage for the game; they hit 11-of-36 from long range and a dreadful 13-of-27 from the foul line. The Moundbuilders pulled down two more rebounds than Saint Mary's 39; only five of USM's boards were off the offensive glass. 17 turnovers and 11 assists were tabbed by the Spires along with three steals and one block.
Shanice Palmer bucketed a game-high 16 points, making 6-of-9 field goals and four of her seven free throw shots. Both Korbynn Stallbaumer and Jennifer Harmon totaled 11 points in the game with Harmon's counting towards the bench points; Stallbaumer went 4-of-13 from the floor and hit both her free throws while Harmon connected on 3-of-5 from deep and knocked in a pair of foul shots. Adelyn Ezeh netted a team leading eight rebounds to go with her five points.
In their seven games this season, Saint Mary is scoring an average of 68.3 points per game while draining 31.4 percent from the field; they have a negative score margin of 18.5. The squad has cashed in on 48 three balls but converts just 24.2 percent from range; they do have a solid 74.8 free throw percentage. Over 40 rebounds are tabbed by the Spires each time they hit the court, as are 9.4 assists, 7.1 steals, and 20.1 turnovers.
Ebonee Ryhmes was the leading scorer for USM before she decided to head back to Arizona; she had totaled close to 20 points a game at 19.2, making 39.5% from the floor and also led the squad in three-point baskets and free throws with 11 and 44, respectively. Palmer is the only other Spire to hit double-digits on a regular basis as she makes 10.4 an outing; she connects on 51.1 percent from the floor and has also played in a team-high 192 minutes this year. Harmon is tied with Ryhmes for three-point field goals this season with 11 but averages just 5.9 points a contest.
Two games on the road is how Saint Mary will close out conference play in 2013; they travel to Friends University on December 12th for their next bout.
