Men's Basketball | 2/23/2013 11:21:00 AM
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McPherson, Kan. – Following a major upset by McPherson College over No. 1 seed University of Saint Mary, 91-82, the ‘Dogs warrant a trip to Wichita, Kansas and the No. 4 Friends University Falcons. Tipoff for round two of the KCAC Postseason Tournament is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. (CT) today, February 23rd.
The game 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 Steve Sell doing the color commentary. 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
Scouting Friends
Much like McPherson, the Falcons are coming off a close victory as they took down No. 5 seed Bethany College 88-81 at home. 28-of-39 made free throws for Friends seemed to be the determining factor in the contest as the Swedes made seven more field goals than the Falcons but couldn’t overtake Friends. FU converted on 25-of-53 from the floor with 10-of-24 falling through from behind the arc. Bethany cashed in on an impressive 55.2% of their 58 attempts, nailing 7-of-12 from downtown; they had a poor night from the stripe, making 11-of-20. The sharp-shooting led to few rebounds with Friends pulling down two more 29 than BC, 27. The Falcons committed fewer turnovers, 10, and had more assists, 14, than the Swedes.
Zach Nelson led all scoring, bucketing 25 points for Friends on 8-of-17 shooting with six three balls and 3-of-4 going in from the foul line. Semester transfer Joe Mitchell scored 21 in the win, bucketing 5-of-11 from the floor and 11-of-15 from the charity stripe. Thomas Bland was the final Falcon in double-digits, nailing 3-of-6 from the field and 8-of-10 from the free throw line for his 15 points; Bland also had a team-high four assists. Center Anthony White led the team in rebounds with seven, matching his point total.
Friends averages just over 70 points per contest, second lowest in the conference to McPherson, and have a positive 4.1 score margin; they make a league second-best 45.2% of their field goal attempts and knock in 8.2 three balls each time out, leading the KCAC. They have a tough time keeping opposing teams off the glass and pull down 31.4 rebounds a game themselves. Their turnover and assists per contest are near identical as they commit 13.8 TOs and record 13.9 dimes an outing; the rank first in the conference in assist/turnover ratio. The squad also tallies 7.6 steals and 2.3 blocks every time they play.
Mitchell, since joining the team 10 games ago, is averaging 15.7 points a contest while cashing in on 44.4 percent of his field goal attempts; he is averaging right over one three-point basket each time he touches the court. Nelson is second on the squad in scoring, totaling 13.4 every time he plays; he is the team leader in makes from distance, hitting 68-of-184 this season. White is the top rebounder of Friends, grabbing 8.5 boards per game while scoring 13.1; he has 247 total rebounds this year. Rounding out the double figure scorers is Colton Rausch who buckets 12.2 per contest, making over 50% from the floor.
The winner of Saturday’s matchup between Mac and Friends will take on the champion of the No.7 Ottawa University at No. 3 Sterling College competition.
