Women's Basketball | 1/20/2014 10:44:00 AM
Game Notes
Live Video
Live Stats
Live Audio
McPherson, Kan. – Following a devastating loss to Bethany College this past Saturday, MC women's basketball now looks to Wednesday, January 22 for their next bout. The 'Dogs will square off against the KCAC's top team in the Southwestern College Moundbuilders; tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m. (CT)
Against the Swedes, both teams got off to slow starts, looking like it was going to be a low-scoring first half; then the officials intervened, calling 25 fouls and awarding 34 free throws. Once the halftime buzzer sounded, McPherson found themselves down 29-28. A mere six field goals fell through in the opening half for the Lady 'Dogs including two from deep; Mac stayed in the game thanks to connecting on 14-of-18 from the charity stripe. Bethany scored on just 7-of-20 but hit five from behind the arc; they also made 10-of-16 from the free throw line.
Coming out of the locker room, the Bulldogs were inspired and got ahead by double-digits, looking to put the game away early. The Lady Swedes were not deterred however, and continued making their three-point attempts to keep them in the game and eventually put them in front. MC trailed by a handful down the stretch and hit a couple shots to pull within two with just a few seconds remaining. Bethany missed on a 1-and-1 to give Mac one last chance. The 'Dogs pushed it up the court and had a chance at a buzzer-beating layup but alas, it was blocked away thwarting McPherson's opportunity and giving BC their first KCAC win of the season.
Mac ended the game shooting 30 percent, counting 15-of-49 with 6-of-27 dropping from deep; they had an impressive showing from the foul line as 25-of-31 (80.6%) found their way to the bottom of the net. The Lady Bulldogs grabbed 27 rebounds, four more than Bethany, which includes nine off the offensive glass. They had 19 turnovers, nine steals and seven assists in the loss.
Brown scored a game-high 17 points and posted a 50% shooting performance, hitting 6-of-12 from the field and 2-of-4 from three-point land; she also made three of her four free throws while pulling down a team-high eight rebounds. Barton counted 15 for the game, making just 3-of-10 from the floor but 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. Chandler Short also hit double-digits with her 10 points on 8-of-9 from the foul line and 1-of-7 from the field.
Scouting the Lady Bulldogs: The 7-13 McPherson squad is 3-5 in the KCAC; they have lost last five conference games and last seven overall. They are averaging under 60 points scoring each time out while making 35.1 percent of their shots; the team nets 5.3 from distance an outing, making 28.6 percent of their tries. They sit at 67.7 percent from the free throw line in their 20 games. Mac pulls down 40.4 rebounds a night while tabbing 19.5 turnovers, 12.1 assists, 8.2 steals and 2.2 blocks. In their eight conference games this season, the 'Dogs score an average of 59.3 points while giving up 64.4; they are converting on 36.8 percent from the field and 29.1 from long range. They are second best in the KCAC in free throw percentage at 72.7% and rank third in both blocks per game, 2.88, and steals with 8.0 a contest.
McPherson will hit the road on January 25th as they start the second round of KCAC games; MC travels to North Newton, Kansas where they face Bethe College for a 5:00 p.m. showdown.
Scouting Southwestern
The Lady Moundbuilders sit atop the KCAC with a perfect 8-0 record, they are 16-3 on the year; they have averaged a double-digit scoring margin in their conference contests. It was a not a blowout for their most recent victory as the Builders barely held off Ottawa University on Saturday, winning 71-70 in overtime.
Southwestern was down early to the Braves, trailing by as many as 15 in the first half, coming with five minutes to play. The Builders stormed back and pulled within six at the break, going on a 9-0 run to close out the period. Two minutes into the second half and SWC had tied things up. From then on, the two clubs were never more than a couple baskets away from each other. In the last couple minutes, the Moundbuilders controlled the game and were up by five with just 43 seconds to go. The Braves were not done however and hit a pair of three balls including one at the buzzer to force overtime. The two were neck-and-neck in OT and with 27 seconds left, OU got ahead by one but missed a chance at a three-point play, giving Southwestern the ball with a chance to win it. The Builders bucketed the game winner with five ticks showing on the clock, giving them the 71-70 win. SWC made 25-of-63 for the game with 7-of-22 from behind the arc dropping in; they also counted 14-of-23 from the stripe. The Moundbuilders grabbed one more rebound than their opponent, hauling in 42 with 10 offensive boards. They also netted 18 assists, 13 turnovers, seven steals and three blocks in their victory.
Nine different Builders scored with Trinicia Shaffer leading the way with her 12 on 5-of-16 shooting with one free throw; she also led the team in rebounds and assists with seven and nine, respectively. Jessica Hobbs tallied 11 points, making 4-of-12 from the floor with one foul shot dropping. Sheri Zoglmann was the final SWC player to tab double-digits scoring as she hit on 2-of-7 from the field and 4-of-6 from the stripe for her 10 points.
Southwestern is tallying 76.9 points a game this season, making 40.9 percent from the floor; they allow 66.7 and have a positive scoring margin of 10.2. The squad hits an average of 9.1 three balls an outing, connecting on 33.8 percent from range. They are bringing down 42.2 rebounds a game while tabulating 15.1 assists, 14.1 turnovers, 7.6 steals, and 2.3 blocks. In the conference games, the Lady Moundbuilders score 73.25 points per contest while allowing 63.1; they count 71.5 percent from the free throw line, third in the KCAC, 40.7 percent from the floor, third in the conference, and 30.4% from deep, fourth in the league. The team hauls in 39.0 rebounds a game which puts them third. Their 15.1 assists an outing is second highest amongst KCAC teams; they are also second in turnover margin at 4.75 and three-point makes a game with 7.88.
Hobbs is the lone Builder to average over 10 points a game, netting 13.0 with a team-high 54 three balls and 80 total field goals made this season; she has scored 247 points this season. Sheri Zoglmann is scoring 9.7 points an outing, shooting in 38.5% from the field; she has played a team-high 515 minutes. Sophomore forward Jana Reichenberger nets 9.5 points per contest while leading the team in rebounds with 7.6. Also scoring just over the nine-point mark is Trinicia Shaffer who logs 9.1; she has amassed a team leading 115 assists on the year.
SWC will be at home on Saturday when they face the University of Saint Mary.
