Men's Basketball | 1/23/2014 3:42:00 PM
Game Notes
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McPherson, Kan. – After two disappointing losses, Bulldog basketball got a win on Wednesday to close out the first round of KCAC play. The second go-around kicks off on Saturday, January 25 as the 'Dogs travel to Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas; junior varsity will start at 3:00 p.m. (CT) with the varsity men getting underway at 7:00
The game with the Moundbuilders on this past Wednesday started in back-and-forth fashion; SWC put together a mini-run to jump in front by nine near the 10-minute mark. The 'Dogs pushed right back and re-took the lead; they led by as many as eight and headed into the break with a 35-29 advantage. MC counted 13-of-30 with only 1-of-4 three balls falling; it was a rough half from the charity stripe as they made 8-of-15. Southwestern scored on 9-of-10 from two-point range but hit just 2-of-16 from deep; they cashed in on 5-of-6 free throws.
The Bulldogs stayed in front by a few for most of the second period but were never able to get ahead by more than eight. After trailing by eight, the Builders went on a 9-0 run to take the lead, their first since the 13-minute mark in the first half. It was tight down the stretch but Mac was ahead for the final five, winning 80-75. McPherson went 12-of-27 from the field with just one three ball; they shot very well from the stripe, making 20-of-23. SWC bucketed 14-of-35 with one lone three ball out of seven tries; they made 17 of their 21 free throws.
The 'Dogs went 25-of-57 for a 43.9 field goal percentage; they shot just seven three balls and made two, both by Shivers. Well above their average, MC drained 73.7 percent, 28-of-38 from the foul line. 39 rebounds were tallied by the Bulldogs with 12 coming off the offensive glass. They had just 12 assists but also kept their turnovers low, netting nine; five blocks and three steals were logged by Mac in their win. An unheard of 73.8% of McPherson's points, 59, were recorded in the paint.
Shivers made the majority of his 23 point total from the charity stripe, connecting on a perfect 15-of-15; he was 3-of-10 from the field and also recorded a pair of rebounds and assists. B. Johnson was 8-of-17 from the floor and 6-of-13 from the free throw line; he also tabbed a team-high five assists in his 35 minutes of work. Joey Powers scored 14 for the 'Dogs, hitting on 7-of-9 from the floor; he also had two blocks. D. Johnson got his 14 double-double of the year with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Bulldogs in the Rankings: The 'Dogs sit sixth in the NAIA D-II in Total Rebounds for the year with 857; they average 13.5 Offensive Rebounds a Game, putting them 13th and 40.8 Total per Game, 16th. They are 27th in Total Assists, 310, and 29th in Assist-to-Turnover Ratio at 1.136. D. Johnson is first in the Nation in Total Rebounds, 255, Rebounds per Game, 12.1, Defensive Rebounds per Game, 8.0 and third in Offensive Rebounds per Game, 4.1. Shivers is now 18th in the country in Three-Point Makes with 56 and 25th in Makes per Game, 2.667. Powers is 25th in Total Blocks this season with 26.
Scouting Mac: The 10-11 Bulldogs sit at 3-6 in the KCAC, ranking them 7th. They net 78.6 points an outing, posting a 44.2 field goal percentage; the team scores 5.3 from downtown a night, connecting on 27.7% of their attempts from deep. 40.8 rebounds are tabbed each time the 'Dogs hit the court and have a positive 3.0 rebounding margin. They also total 14.7 assists, 13.0 turnovers, 5.5 steals and 3.0 blocks each time they play. In their KCAC contests, MC is putting in 74.89 points on 42.8 percent shooting; they allow 74.89 points and a 42.7 defensive field goal percentage. Their 41.1 rebounding average is second in the league, as are their 15.22 assists and 1.17 assist-to-turnover ratio; they rank third in blocks 3.56. Mac is dead last in fouls committed, 19.78 which is a good thing.
Following their outing with the Threshers, MC heads back home to face the Saint Mary Spires on January 29th at 8:00 p.m.
Scouting Bethel
This has not been a season to remember for the Threshers as they've gone oh-fer to this point in the season; they sit at 0-19 overall and 0-9 in the KCAC. Don't let their record fool you, the squad has had some close contests but have lacked the ability to finish games. Their most recent outing was not one of those as they dropped a 112-77 outing to Bethany College on Wednesday.
The Swedes had the pedal to the floor from the get-go, taking a 20-point, 53-33, advantage into the locker room. In the second half, Bethany continued to hit shots on their home court, scoring 59 more points which gave them the 112-77 victory. Bethel shot the ball very well, posting a 50% field goal percentage, they just didn't take as many shots as the Swedes; the Threshers knocked through 26-of-52 with 10-of-22 from deep and 5-of-11 from the charity stripe. Bethany counted 40-of-79 with 12-of-27 three balls finding the bottom of the net; they also converted on 20-of-29 from the foul line. Bethel recorded just 15 rebounds while Bethany totaled 41. The Threshers logged 15 turnovers, 13 assists, eight steals and a block in their loss.
Jenson Kingsley entered the game from the bench for Bethel and drained six of the team's 10 three balls; he was 6-of-12 on the night for a team-high 18 points. Jody Keon Jones posted 13 points in the loss, making 5-of-7 from the field and 2-of-5 from the stripe. The final Thresher to make it to double figures was DeWayne Canady who scored 12 on 5-of-10 shooting. Trever Ford led the team in rebounds with eight.
This season, Bethel is scoring 65.5 points each time they touch the court, being held to a low of 47 and scoring a high of 89; they have a negative 23.7 scoring margin. The squad knocks in 36.7 percent of their field goals with 31% dropping from deep; they tab 6.1 three balls a night. BC only grabs 33 rebounds an outing and has a negative rebounding margin of 12.3. The team logs 15 turnovers, 10.3 assists, 6.5 steals and 1.9 blocks a game. In their nine conference contests, they've scored a KCAC worst 64.95 points per game, making 36.7 percent from the floor, also a league-low; Bethel is giving up 88.68 points a contest while allowing their opponent to make 31% of their field goals. They are the second-worst rebounding team and are at the bottom of the KCAC in assists, 10.32, blocks, 1.90, and fouls per game, 22.42.
Three Thresher players average over 10 points a contest with Robbie Wright leading the way with his 10.5ppg; he is making 40.7 percent of his field goals. Jones posts 10.2 an outing while playing in a team-high 24.6 minutes per game; he also leads the squad in total field goals and free throws with 71 and 46, respectively. Canady, with his total from Wednesday, has just hit the 10-point mark. Ford is the leading rebound getter with a 6.1 average.
Two more home games await Bethel as they host Sterling College then Tabor College next week.
