Men's Basketball | 1/14/2014 3:57:00 PM
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McPherson, Kan. – After a very exciting 17-point comeback game against Kansas Wesleyan last week, Bulldog basketball looks to keep the momentum going as they travel to Ottawa, Kansas for an 8:00 p.m. (CT) contest with Ottawa University.
The first half of the game with the Coyotes this past Saturday was a very aggressive one which allowed KWU to jump out to a 17-point advantage just over the midway point of the period; the 'Dogs struggled scoring against Kansas Wesleyan's 2-3 zone, leading to a low-scoring first half. McPherson put some points together in the final few minutes but still trailed 45-32 at the break. MC made 11-of-32 in the opening period; they also connected on 8-of-9 from the charity stripe. The 'Yotes had a very solid first 20 minutes, scoring on 17-of-36 with an incredible 7-of-15 from behind the arc; they also connected on 4-of-6 from the free throw line.
Mac tried to claw back into the game in the second half but had a difficult time getting their deficit into single figures for an extended period of time. After converting on a pair of three balls with eight to play, the Bulldogs stayed right on the heels of KWU the rest the way. MC finally tied things up with just over two minutes left and then took the lead a couple possessions later, going up by a basket with less than a minute to go. The 'Dogs scored the game's final five points, preserving their 77-73 victory.
The 'Dogs scored on 25-of-67 in Saturday's contest (37.3%) and bucketed 6-of-22 from downtown; 87.5% of their free throws (21-of-24) found the bottom of the net in the win. It was a low rebounding game as McPherson led the way with 34; 13 came on the offensive end of the court. After having seven turnovers in the first half, Mac tightened things down and ended the game with just 10 total TOs; they tallied 17 assists, five blocks and four steals. 46 of MC's total points were scored inside the paint and 16 were fast break points.
Samson Shivers closed out the night with 31 points, 14 of which came from the foul line; he was 7-of-18 from the floor and made just 3-of-13 from long range while totaling 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the year. Speaking of double-doubles, Devirous Johnson grabbed yet another one as he totaled 15 points and 13 boards; he also had four assists, two steals and a block in his 30 minutes of play. Both TJ Grant and Erik DeRoo came off the bench and scored nine; DeRoo's were from three-point range while Grant knocked down 3-of-6 field goals and 3-of-3 foul shots. Senior D'onte Woods scored four points, had four rebounds and a pair of blocks, one of which was a game-saving rejection.
Bulldogs in the NAIA Rankings: As a team, McPherson tabs a NAIA 7th best 14.33 Offensive Rebounds per Game and 763 Total Rebounds; they are also 10th in Total Rebounds per game at 42.4. The squad is 23rd in Total Assists with 278. D. Johnson still has a stranglehold on the Nation in rebounds as he's first in Defensive Rebounds per Game (8.167), Offensive Rebounds per Game (4.50), Total Rebounds per Game (12.677), and Total Rebounds for the season (228); he now ranks 25th in Field Goal Percentage at 57.7%. Shivers places 13th in Total 3-Point Baskets Made (53) and 19th in 3-Point Baskets Made per Game (2.944)
Scouting McPherson: Mac is scoring just over 80 points a game with a positive scoring margin of 1.1; they have hit 516 field goals this season, making 44.4 percent from the floor. Outside the arc, the Bulldogs knock in 5.8 a game, connecting on 28.1 percent. The squad pulls down 42.4 rebounds an outing and has a positive 4.7 rebounding margin. They net 15.4 assists, 13.6 turnovers, 5.6 steals and 2.9 blocks a game. Against their KCAC opponents, MC is allowing a conference third-best 77.33 points while scoring 77.50. They tab 46.0 rebounds and have a 9.17 rebounding margin. They're first in assists per game with 17.5 and sit second in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.18.
The 'Dogs travel to Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas for their next contest; the 7:00 p.m. inter-county showdown is scheduled for January 18th.
Scouting Ottawa
The Braves are sitting at a perfect .500 on the year at 8-8 overall and 3-3 against the KCAC. They are coming off a 1-1 week where they lost at Sterling 84-76 on Thursday but then overtook Tabor 75-71 at home on Saturday.
In their bout with the Blue Jays, Ottawa got out to an early lead and maintained their advantage for most of the half. TC jumped in front for the final five minutes and the two clubs went into the locker room tied at 29 apiece. The second period was similar to the first as it was a tight battle with OU having the lead most of the way; a five-point score gap was the largest of the game. The Jays tied things up with five minutes to play but were never able to get ahead of Ottawa. It was a close final few seconds but the Braves made just enough foul shots to hold on for the win. OU converted on 42.1 percent from the field, 24-of-57, with just 2-of-12 three-point attempts falling; they made 25 of their 33 free throws as well. There were lots of rebounds to be had and the Braves pulled down 43 with 11 coming on the offensive end of the court. Ottawa tabbed 12 assists, 11 turnovers, an unheard of nine blocks, and two steals.
Kameron Lindsay totaled a team-high 18 points, making 4-of-12 from the floor and 10-of-12 from the charity stripe for the Braves. Next on the team was Julian Rose who scored 15 on 5-of-11 shooting with a couple from deep and 3-of-5 from the foul line going down. Both Alex Hasty and Colin Nichols tabulated 10 points and combined for 14 rebounds with Nichols grabbing a team-high eight. The other starter for the Braves, Alex Lundry, scored seven points and tied his career-high in blocks with four.
Ottawa is scoring just over 78 points a game and has a negative scoring margin of less than one point; they are making 43.1 from the field in their 16 games. Only connecting on 29.1 percent from the three-point line, OU makes just 4.8 three balls a contest and have just 77 on the year. The team collects 43.9 rebounds an outing and nearly always outboard their foes. They average 14.7 turnovers, 13.3 assists, 5.2 steals and 4.8 blocks a game. In conference play, the Braves average 78 points while giving up 77.7; they are third in the KCAC in free throw percentage at 75.6%. OU trails just McPherson when it comes to rebounds against league teams with 44.5 and is first in blocks with 5.3 a game. They've made a KCAC-low 26 three-point field goals in their six games.
For the season, Rose nets a team-high 20.1 points per game, making 48.9 from the floor and a team leading 22 from downtown; he is also the tops of the team in rebounds a contest with 6.5 and has made 81 foul shots on the year. Lindsay is the only other Brave to hit double-digits with his 14.6 ppg; the squad's leading assist man, 56 dimes, Lindsay has played in a team-high 580 minutes, averaging 36.3 per contest. Hasty is close to the double-digit average, putting in 9.9 points an outing. Lundy has 25 blocks on the year and averages 1.25 a game putting him 17th and 12th in the NAIA, respectively.
OU will hit the road on Saturday, January 18 as they travel to Winfield, Kansas to play Southwestern College.
