Men's Basketball | 1/20/2014 2:28:00 PM
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McPherson, Kan. – In the final game of the first go-around of the KCAC the Bulldogs will take on the 13-6, 3-5 Southwestern College Moundbuilders. The January 22
nd contest is set for 8:00 p.m. (CT) in the Sport Center of McPherson College; junior varsity will get underway at 4:00
It was a rough night for the Bulldogs this past Saturday as they lost to inter-county rival Bethany College. The opening period was owned by Mac as they found holes in the Swede defense, getting ahead by as many as 10. Bethany headed into their home locker room down 42-34. The 'Dogs shot 50% from the floor, making 17-of-34 field goals with 4-of-8 dropping from deep; they also connected on 4-of-5 from the charity stripe. BC scored on 14-of-29 with a pair from downtown and 4-of-6 from the line.
McPherson came out flat in the second period, quickly losing their eight-point halftime advantage and finding themselves down in less than five minutes. The roaring fans of Bethany pushed the Swedes basketball team into high gear as they increased their lead to 20+, culminating in an 89-68 victory. MC made a lowly seven field goals in the final period, zero from deep; they counted 12-of-20 from the free throw line. Bethany converted on 18-of-36 including 7-of-13 from distance; the Swedes also cashed in on 12-of-13 from the stripe.
Mac finished the game shooting 46.2 percent, 24-of-52, and connected on 4-of-14 from downtown; they logged a 16-of-25 night from the foul stripe. All of Bethany's makes took away from the Bulldogs' rebounding opportunities, as such, MC only hauled in 18 rebounds, grabbing only one on the offensive side of the court. 13 turnovers, 11 assists, six steals and three blocks were totaled by McPherson.
Devirous Johnson tallied 19 points in the loss, making 6-of-8 from the field and 7-of-10 from the stripe; he grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, five off his season average. Joey Powers made just one field goal in the second half, scoring 14 on the night. Erik DeRoo didn't attempt a shot in the second 20 minutes, ending the game with 12 points on his 4-of-4 shooting from deep. Brian (BJ) Johnson scored nine and had a team-high five assists.
Ranked Bulldogs: Following their 18 rebound night, McPherson now has 818 rebounds for the year, putting them 10th Nationally; they are 12th in Offensive Rebounds per Game, 13.55, and 16th in Total Rebounds per Game, 40.9. D. Johnson still ranks first in the NAIA in Total Rebounds and Rebounds per Game with 243 and 12.15, respectively, but has dropped to second in Defensive Rebounds per Game, 8.0, and third in Offensive Rebounds per Game, 4.15. Samson Shivers, who netted zero points on Saturday, is 20th in the NAIA D-II in Three-Point Field Goals per game with 54.
Scouting the McPherson men: Through the season's first 20 games, Mac averages 78.5 points scoring, making 44.3 percent from the field; their defense tabs a 78.8 average giving the 'Dogs a negative scoring margin. The team is rebounding 40.9 a night to go along with their 14.9 assists, 13.2 turnovers, 5.7 steals, and 2.9 blocks. MC is giving up 77.25 points a game against KCAC opponents while scoring 74.25; they knock down 42.6 percent from their field and just 24.8% from deep. The team sits second in the conference with their 41.38 average rebounds per game. They are third in blocks per game with 3.38 and second in assists a contest at 15.62; their assist-to-turnover ratio is second best in the league at 1.16.
Mac will hit the road on Saturday as they start the second set of KCAC games; the January 25th contest is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. (CT) in North Newton, Kansas. The junior varsity squad will play Bethel at 3:00
Scouting Southwestern
The Moundbuilders sit in seventh place of the KCAC with their 3-5 conference record. They are coming off a 10-point home victory over Ottawa University from this past Saturday; the 70-60 triumph was much needed as SWC was in a two-game skid.
Things started off well enough for the Builders as they got ahead by double-digits less than 10 minutes into the game. The Braves pecked away but could never get closer than eight; they trailed Southwestern 38-28 at the break. In the second half, SWC maintained their advantage as their lead hovered around 10 points. With less than three minutes to play, OU got their deficit to one point following a 10-point push. Southwestern cranked it up in the final few and ended the game on a 10-1 run for their 70-60 win. Both teams took 53 shot attempts in the game with the Moundbuilders knocking down one more as they made 20; 11-of-26 three-point baskets fell for SWC as did 19-of-24 from the free throw line. The Builders pulled in 38 rebounds with 12 coming off the offensive glass; they also recorded 13 assists, 12 turnovers, seven steals and two blocks.
The team's best player, Cameron Clark, logged a team-high 21 points for Southwestern; he hit 7-of-10 from the floor with 4-of-6 dropping from three and 3-of-4 from the foul line. Alex Tyler made just one field goal but knocked down 11-of-12 from the stripe for his 13 points; he also had a team-high five assists. The final SWC player to hit double-digits was William Tisdale who scored 10 on a 4-of-14 shooting night.
The Moundbuilders are scoring an average of 78.5 points through their 19 regular season games; they're counting 42.1 percent of their field goals. From behind the arc, they bucket 33.2 percent, averaging 7.2 from deep a game. The team tabs 42.3 rebounds a contest and has a positive rebounding margin of 5.7. SWC averages 14.6 turnovers, 13.4 assists, 5.7 steals and 2.6 blocks each time they hit the court. In their KCAC games, Southwestern is scoring 74.38 points and giving up 79.12; they count 41% from the field and 34.3 percent from deep while allowing 44.8% of their opponents field goals to drop. They rank fourth in total rebounds with 38.88 but sit dead last in steals a game at 4.12.
Clark is bucketing 21.8 points a night, knocking in 147 field goals for the year, shooting 44% from the floor; he has made 40 three-point baskets and 80 free throws, both lead the way for the Moundbuilders. Clark also averages 10 rebounds per contest to lead his team; he ranks 7th in the NAIA D-II in rebounds per game and total boards. Tisdale is netting 12.3 points a game and has made a second-high 91 field goals. Tyler is the team's top assist man as he's totaled 84 on the year.
Next it's home for the University of Saint Mary to start off round two of KCAC play.
