Men's Basketball | 2/5/2013 11:17:00 AM
Game Notes
Live Audio
Live Video
Live Stats
McPherson, Kan. – After putting three wins together, McPherson dropped a tough one to Saint Mary this past Saturday, moving them to 10-15 for the season and 4-10 in the KCAC. With only four games left, the ‘Dogs can’t stop fighting and next will make a trip to Wichita, Kansas and the Friends Falcons; an 8:00 p.m. (CT) start time is set for February 7th.
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 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
In the disappointing loss to the KCAC’s No. 1 University of Saint Mary, the Bulldogs surrendered the first bucket but then scored the next nine points to go up seven, three minutes into the competition. Points were scored in back-and-forth fashion for the next several minutes with McPherson staying out in front. A 10-point advantage was Mac’s with 4:30 left on the clock but a 12-0 run by the Spires to close out the half put USM up 29-27 at halftime.
The second period began much like the first with both squads trading baskets; the final tie of the game came less than four minutes into the half. Saint Mary then took control and stayed out in front by a handful of points as MC kept things close. A run of six-straight points by the Spires broke their lead into double-digits; USM got ahead by as many as 16 points in the final few minutes and took the game 72-60.
The Bulldogs closed out the competition cashing in on 25-of-67 from the field including 4-of-24 from deep; they converted on 6-of-11 from the charity stripe in the loss. 44.1 percent of Saint Mary’s 59 field goals found their way through the hoop; they went 7-of-20 from downtown and 13-of-18 from the free throw line. McPherson edged the Spires on the glass as they pulled down 43 boards to USM’s 40. Saint Mary’s bench outscored MC’s 33-13.
Mason Hewitt led the ‘Dogs from the floor with his 18 points coming on 8-of-18 from the field with two makes from deep. Sampson Shivers was a close runner-up as he bucketed 17 points after making 6-of-13 from the floor and 3-of-3 from the stripe; he also pulled down seven rebounds which led the team. Jake Reinhardt and Devirous Johnson each scored eight points.
McPherson will have their second to last home game of the season once they return from Wichita; they host the Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes on February 9th for a 7:00 p.m. (CT) tipoff. The men’s junior varsity game will begin at 3:00 p.m. The Coyotes are currently tied with MC for seventh in the conference, making Saturday’s game that much more crucial.
Scouting Friends
The Falcons have won three-straight and are 8-2 in the last month. They have climbed up the conference ladder and currently sit third, three games out of first. A 20-point win was how the last contest ended for Friends as they took down KCAC No. 2 Sterling College 83-63.
Friends bucketed nearly 50% of their shot attempts against the Warriors as they made 26-of-63 from the floor and 6-of-22 from long range; 25-of-30 free throws fell through the net in the win. Sterling had a rough going from the field, bucketing 20-of-57 field goals but just 4-of-23 from behind the three-point arc; they converted on 19-of-27 from the charity stripe. The Falcons cleaned the glass nicely, pulling down 37 rebounds to SC’s 26. Friends turned the ball over 12 times but stole back seven while Sterling had 13 TOs and just three steals.
Newcomer to the team Joe Mitchell scored a season-high 21 points, leading not only the Falcons but SC as well; he was 5-of-13 from the floor and an amazing 10-of-11 from the stripe. Anthony White was the next highest scorer for Friends, putting up 18 points on 6-of-8 from the field and 6-of-7 from the foul line; he also pulled down a game-high nine rebounds. Colton Rausch scored 14 points, cashing in on 5-of-9 field goals and 2-of-3 free throws. The final double-digit scorer for the Falcons was Zach Nelson who scored 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting.
This season, Friends is scoring right over 70 points per contest and have broken the 70-point mark in their past seven competitions. They have made 614 field goals this year and bucket 34.3% of their attempts from the floor including 7.9 three pointers a contest, tops in the conference. Their defense is holding opponents to 66.8 points an outing, best in the KCAC. The Falcons are at the bottom of the conference in rebounds per game, pulling down less than 32 per game. They average nearly 14 turnovers and assists every contest.
Since joining the team a couple weeks ago, Mitchell is averaging 17.6 points per contest while making 44.4% of his attempts. Mitchell is a transfer that is originally from Wichita, was an All-American at Hutchinson Junior College, went to play at the University of Ohio, and then spent a semester playing at Wichita State University before landing at Friends. The Falcons’ big man, White is scoring 13.5 each time he hits the court while grabbing a team-leading 8.2 rebounds, putting him fourth in the KCAC. Rausch scores 13.3 per contest and has made a team-high 63 three-point field goals. Nelson also averages over 10 points per game as he totals 13 an outing; he’s the team’s leader in free throw makes this year.
The Falcons will stay at home for their Saturday matchup with the Bethany Swedes on February 9th.
