Men's Basketball | 1/17/2014 4:01:00 PM
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McPherson, Kan. –McPherson College will make their way up old Highway 81 on January 18
th as they travel to face the Bethany College Swedes; tipoff for the Saturday contest is set for 7:00 p.m. (CT) with junior varsity to get going at 3:00
The 'Dogs are coming off a tough 65-61 road loss to Ottawa University this past Thursday. Mac had a difficult time getting started, allowing the Braves to amass a near double-digit lead just minutes into the ballgame; OU held the hot hand in the first 20 minutes, making close to 50% from the field. After one half of play, the home team was on top 28-24.
In the second period, the shooting clinic continued for Ottawa as they had little difficulty putting the ball through the hoop in the early goings; the Bulldogs stuck around and always stayed within striking distance. With close to eight minutes to play, the Bulldogs pounced and after a few scores and takeaways, grabbed their first lead of the night. Time was winding down and the two clubs were dead even at 61 apiece with 1:52 showing on the game clock. Back-to-back turnovers spelled disaster for MC as the Braves connected on 3-of-4 from the stripe to take a three-point lead with less than 30 seconds to play. A missed attempt from long range ended up in the hands of OU and a 1-of-2 showing from the free throw line with just a few ticks left ended all hope for Mac, giving them the 65-61 loss.
McPherson ended the night with a 23-of-59 shooting performance, making 39% from the field; they bucketed just 1-of-9 from deep and only made 50% of their 28 foul shots. Ottawa posted a 42% night from the floor, knocking down 21 total shots with seven coming from distance; they also drained 16-of-24 from the stripe. MC lost the rebounding battle, giving up 43 while pulling down just 37; 12 of the Bulldogs' boards were on the offensive side of the court. Mac also tabbed nine assists, seven steals, six turnovers, and three blocks.
Samson Shivers counted 4-of-11 from the field including the team's lone three ball; he also made 6-of-9 from the stripe for his 15 point total. Next on the team was Brian Johnson who netted 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field; he went 2-of-9 from the foul line and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds. Devirous Johnson tallied 11 points, shooting 50% from the floor and the foul line, going 4-of-8 and 3-of-6, respectively; he logged eight boards in the team's loss.
The 'Dogs in the National Rankings: The team has grabbed an even 800 rebounds on the year, putting them seventh in the NAIA D-II; they are 10th in Total Rebounds per Game with 42.1 and still rank in the top-20 in offensive and defensive boards a night. D. Johnson is still considered, according to the statistics, the country's best rebounder, ranking first in his usual categories. Shivers slid to 14 in Total Three-Point Makes with 54.
Scouting Mac: The 'Dogs average just under 80 points a game in their 19 contests; they've allowed 78.3, giving them a positive 0.9 scoring margin. The team is counting 44.1 percent of their field goals but just 28.1 from behind the arc; they're averaging 5.6 three balls a game. The free throw stripe is where a lot of games have been decided for McPherson as they are hot one outing and then not the next; they are shooting in 64.4% of their tries from the stripe. As for rebounding, MC is hauling in 42.1 each time they touch the court and have a plus four rebounding margin on the year. They log 15 assists, 13.2 turnovers, 5.5 steals and 2.8 blocks through their 19 games this year. When facing KCAC opponents, the 'Dogs are scoring 75.1 and allowing 75.6, making for some very tight battles. They are the top rebounding team in the conference, averaging 44.71 including close to 16 off the offensive glass. The team is second in assists per game, 16.1, and rank in the middle of the league in most other categories.
McPherson will be home for one of their games next week as they play host to the Moundbuilders of Southwestern College on Wednesday; tipoff for the January 22nd contest is set for 8:00 p.m.
Scouting Bethany
After two wins kicked off the season, the Swedes went into a three-game funk, losing by close to double-digits; they then found their rhythm, winning eight-straight and now 11 of their last 13; BC lost to Central Christian College, another inter-county school, during the holiday break and the NAIA's No. 16 Friends University this past Saturday. Most recently, the 13-5 Swedes took down Kansas Wesleyan 71-63 in Salina.
The relatively low scoring contest began with a tight first half of basketball; the two clubs went into their respective locker rooms with KWU leading 32-30. In the second period, Bethany was determined to stay right on the heels of the KCAC leading Falcons and took care of business, outscoring the Coyotes by 10 for their 71-63 win. BC put in 27-of-59 with 6-of-22 three balls going in; they also netted 11-of-13 from the free throw line. Kansas Wesleyan converted on 23-of-66 on their home court with 3-of-26 from behind the three-point line falling; the 'Yotes were 14-of-25 from the stripe. Bethany also tabbed 46 rebounds, 26 turnovers, 10 assists four steals and a pair of blocks.
Leading all scoring was BC's Jordan Bieberle who had a solid game, recording 21 points on 6-of-13 shooting with three from deep; he counted all six of his foul shots and logged a team-high four assists to go along with his five rebounds. Idris Ibn Idris, the standout player for the Swedes this season, scored 18, making 7-of-12 from the floor and 2-of-2 from the charity stripe; he collected six rebounds and three assists before fouling out. Kirby Hawkins put up 11 points and Nathan Coleman tallied 10 to round out the double-digit scoring for Bethany; Coleman pulled in a team leading 12 rebounds. Dwight Abad shot in 4-of-8 field goals but missed his lone free throw that would have put him into double figures, but instead, he scored nine.
Bethany tallies an average of 88.2 points an outing, counting 47.4 percent of their field goals; they have a positive scoring margin of 5.39. The team is hitting 7.6 three balls per game, making 36.8 percent from long range. From the foul line, BC nets 71 percent of their attempts. Despite having a good deal of size and athleticism, Bethany only pulls down 36.9 rebounds a game; they do however, have a rebounding margin of 1.8. They record 14.2 turnovers, 12.8 assists, 6.7 steals and 2.9 blocks through their 18 games this season. Against their fellow KCAC teams, BC has upped their game as they score 91.4 points a contest, tallying a conference second best 49.1 field goal percentage; the defense is allowing 84.3 points per game, second worst in the league. Their three-point shooting, 40.7 percent, puts them in second place of the KCAC; they are making 8.4 each time they hit the court.
Idris is first on the team, third in the conference and fourth in the NAIA D-II in scoring, averaging 27.2 every time he plays; he's knocking in 57.3 percent from the field and 46.8 from beyond the arc while being the team's leading rebounder, averaging 6.3 a game. Hawkins is putting up 18.6 per contest, leading the way in three-point makes with 41. Right behind him in terms of three balls is Bieberle who has made 40 on the year en route to a 10.4 points an outing average. Abad is the top assist man for the Swedes as he has totaled 69 this season; he is a 78% free throw shooter and averages 8.7 points per game.
BC squares off against Bethel College on January 22nd for their next competition.
