Women's Basketball | 1/17/2014 10:13:00 AM
Game Notes
Live Video
Live Stats
Live Audio
McPherson, Kan. – The MC women will look to get back to their winning ways on Saturday as they travel to Lindsborg, Kansas to square off against the 2-17 Bethany College Lady Swedes; tipoff is set for 5:00 p.m. (CT) on January 18
th.
The Lady Bulldogs are coming off a 62-44 loss to Ottawa University where they scored just 12 points in the opening half. Mac's first field goal came at the 16-minute mark and their second not until less than eight were left in the period. MC's defense kept things close but the 'Dogs trailed 27-12 at the break. McPherson made just 3-of-28 in the game's first 20 minutes, going 0-of-6 from distance; they knocked in 6-of-8 from the foul line. OU went 8-of-23 with three from deep while making 8-of-13 from the charity stripe.
In the second, the Bulldogs stayed right in step with the Ottawa Braves, keeping their deficit right around the 20-point mark. Mac pulled within 18 but never got close to single figures, losing the 62-44 contest. 9-of-33 from the floor fell for McPherson with 3-of-12 counting from behind the arc; the team cashed in on 11-of-13 from the stripe. OU connected on 9-of-22 with a pair of three balls; they also made 15-of-17 from the free throw line.
In a stat line that was heavily affected by a miserable first half, the Bulldogs counted 12-of-61 from the field, 19.7 percent; they converted 3-of-18 from beyond the arc and an impressive 17-of-21 from the free throw line. The squad outrebounded OU 43-42, grabbing 17 offensive boards. They also tabbed 21 turnovers, eight assists, nine steals and a pair of blocks.
Sunny Smart entered the game from the bench and scored a team-high nine points, making 3-of-11 from the field with one coming from long range; she also scored on a perfect 2-of-2 from the stripe and grabbed five rebounds. Aubrey Barton and Bailey Brown each netted eight points; Barton made 3-of-6 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free throw line while all eight of Brown's points came from the charity stripe, 8-of-10. Cami Engelbert didn't score on the night, 0-of-8, but pulled in a team leading nine rebounds, as did her high school teammate Brown. Whitney Jefferson dished out a team-high four assists to go with her four points and two rebounds.
MC in the NAIA Rankings: The Lady Bulldogs defense is ranked in the top-30 in three different categories; they are still 20th in the Nation in Defensive Field Goal Percentage at 36.2, sit 26th in Three-Point Defensive Field Goal Percentage at 27.9 and are 28th in Defensive Scoring per Game at 64.421. Barton is 43rd in Total Blocks with 20 on the season.
Scouting McPherson: Mac is having a tough time scoring this year, averaging 59.4 points per game; they knock in 35.3 percent of their field goals with 29.1% going in from long range. The Lady 'Dogs have done a solid job from the charity stripe this season, making 66.9 percent. They pull down 41 rebounds a game and have out-boarded their foe on a regular basis. MC also averages 19.5 turnovers, 12.3 assists, 8.1 steals and 2.3 blocks in their 19 games. Against the KCAC, the Bulldogs tab 59 points a game while surrendering 64.5; they hit a third best 71.1 percent from the free throw line. The team is second in the conference in blocked shots, 3.14, and steals, 7.86, per outing.
Mac finally makes it back home next week as they host the KCAC leading Southwestern College Lady Moundbuilders on January 22nd; tipoff for the Wednesday night competition is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
Scouting Bethany
The Swedes have had a tough rebuilding season, winning two of their first three but then losing 15-straight. Winless in the KCAC, BC most recently faced Kansas Wesleyan and took a 72-41 defeat after a terrible shooting night.
Bethany totaled 18 points in the first half and headed into the locker room down 16. In the second, it was again a Coyote controlled ballgame as they outscored BC 38-23, giving KWU the lopsided victory. The Lady Swedes ended the night shooting 25.8 percent from the floor as 16-of-62 shots went down; they counted 2-of-18 from deep and 7-of-11 from the free throw line. Kansas Wesleyan made 26-of-67 with 7-of-23 threes and 13-of-20 foul shots going in. BC logged 43 rebounds, 20 turnovers, seven steals, six blocks and four assists in their loss.
Alex Brammer was the lone Swede to make it into double figures scoring with 10 points; she posted a 4-of-11 from the field and 1-of-2 from the stripe shooting night. The next closest to the 10-point mark was Ashley Carey who scored eight points, making 4-of-9 field goals. Freshman forward Evin Sullivan led the way for Bethany in rebounds with her eight boards; she also had three blocks and two points.
BC is averaging 60.5 points a game this year and have a scoring margin of -11.3; they connect on 36.7 percent from the floor and have made 1149 field goals thus far. They are knocking in six three balls an outing, making 33.4 percent of their attempts. The Swedes struggle from the free throw line as they are converting on just over 60% of their tries. The squad is usually outrebounded and average 34.4 a game. Bethany tabs 20.7 turnovers, 9.3 assists, 8.6 steals and 1.6 blocks through their 19 games this season. Against their conference opponents, the Lady Swedes net 52.0 points per contest while giving up 67.3; both are towards the bottom of the KCAC. They log a ninth best 34.6 rebounds each time out and are 10th in assist-to-turnover ratio at 0.41.
Brammer is the only BC player to average double-digits with her 11.2; she has made a team-high 47 free throws and also leads the squad in assists with 28. Carey is next in line with her 9.1 average which she has scored while playing in a team-high 461 minutes; she is also first in rebounds per game with 5.3. The team's top three-point shooter is Vickie Dolan who has made 44 thus far and posts an NAIA 21st best 41.5 percent conversion percentage from distance; the bench player averages 7.8 points a game.
The Swedes stay at home for their final game of their first go-around with the KCAC as they host Bethel College on January 22nd.
