Men's Basketball | 2/11/2014 3:13:00 PM
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McPherson, Kan. – The final four games of the KCAC season are upon us and McPherson basketball needs to get a streak going as they currently sit eighth in the league standings; Mac is just one game out of sixth, three away from fifth and four from fourth. The 'Dogs will look to get going against Kansas Wesleyan on Thursday, February 13 with JV starting at 4:00 and varsity getting underway at 8:00 p.m. (CT)
Bulldog basketball's most recent contest came against the Tabor College Blue Jays this past Saturday. MC got down 10-2 early but fought back and took the lead just before the midway point of the half; TC fired right back at the 'Dogs and got ahead for the rest of the half, leading 39-30 at the break. Mac shot in 11-of-29 with 4-of-8 going in from distance; they cashed in on 4-of-7 from the free throw line. The 'Jays saw 15-of-32 field goals drop in including 4-of-9 from beyond the arc; a perfect 5-of-5 foul shots were counted by Tabor.
It took less than five minutes for the Bulldogs to get back in front but they were unable to mount any sort of lead as Tabor stayed right on their heels; the two squads were never more than three points apart for the final 15 minutes. As the game was coming to a conclusion, Mac used the adrenaline of their home crowd to stay in control but continued to bail out the Blue Jays as multiple free throws were rewarded to TC down the stretch. The 'Dogs trailed one with under 30 seconds to play but missed a pair of field goals that would have put them ahead; a 1-of-2 showing from the line for Tabor gave them a two point advantage with 15 seconds to play. MC had two more opportunities but failed to connect at the buzzer, losing 76-74. McPherson made 16-of-34 from the floor and saw 4-of-7 three balls drop; they made just 8-of-15 from the stripe. The Blue Jays were 12-of-24 from the field and 13-of-16 from the foul line in the game's final 20 minutes.
The game ended with McPherson posting a 42.9 shooting percentage as 27-of-63 shots dropped including 8-of-15 from range; 10 points were lost at the foul stripe as only 12-of-22 free throws went in for Mac. The team hauled in 36 rebounds with 15 coming on the offensive side of the floor; they also logged 21 assists, 10 turnovers, eight steals and five blocks.
Samson Shivers got hot late and scored 18 of his 20 total points in the second half; the senior went 6-of-12 from the floor including 3-of-8 from beyond the arc while making 5-of-8 from the charity stripe. Shivers is now 28 points off the McPherson College record for total points scored in a career which sits at 2000. Brian (BJ) Johnson put up 11 points on Saturday, cashing in on 3-of-15 from the field and 5-of-10 from the foul line; he also netted eight rebounds and a team-high five assists. Devirous Johnson got yet another double-double, with his 10 points and 10 rebounds; the Nation's leader now has 18 on the year
McPherson in the National Ranks: MC has now tabulated 1077 rebounds on the year putting them eighth in the NAIA; they sit 10th in Offensive Rebounds per game (13.654), 13th in Total Rebounds per Game (41.423), and 19th in Defensive Rebounds per Game (27.769). D. Johnson hasn't moved from his rankings in his usual rebounding categories; Total Rebounds, Total Rebounds per Game, Defensive Rebounds per Game, and Offensive Rebounds per Game.
Scouting the Bulldogs: Mac is totaling 77.5 points a night with 43.9 percent of their field goals dropping through; they score on 27.7 percent from the arc and 65% from the charity stripe. The team totals 41.4 rebounds an outing and has a rebounding margin of 3.5; they log 14.9 assists, 13.0 turnovers, 5.4 steals and 2.8 blocks on average. In their conference contests, McPherson's scored 74.2 points on average while allowing a third best 74.71; they make 42.7 percent from the floor and 25.7 from distance. The team is second in rebounding average at 42.14 and leads the KCAC in assists per game, 15.21; they net 12.9 turnovers, 5.29 steals, and 3.0 blocks each time out.
Scouting Kansas Wesleyan
The Coyotes have won a pair of conference games this season and just four overall; a loss on Thursday would mathematically put them out of contention for a spot in the KCAC postseason tournament. The team has lost four-straight with their most recent defeat coming at the hands of Friends University 92-60.
Kansas Wesleyan scored the first points on Saturday but trailed from the three-minute mark all the way through the finish. Friends' lead hit the double-digits seven minutes into the contest and slipped below that just twice; the first half closed out with the Falcons on top 45-29. In the second, FU got up and stayed up by 20+ with 11:56 showing on the clock; as the game was closing out, Friends increased it to 30 and eventually won by 32. KWU shot the ball well in their loss, seeing 40% of their field goals, 24-of-60, going in but had a hard time hitting the three-ball as just 5-of-20 fell through the hoop; 7-of-11 foul shots were counted for the 'Yotes. Friends scored on 35-of-67 with 13-of-32 three balls finding the bottom of the net; 9-of-13 free throws went through. KWU tallied 30 rebounds, 11 assists, 11 turnovers, three steals and two blocks.
Leading the way for the Coyotes in terms of scoring was Brock Borovetz on his 6-of-12 shooting night for 13 points. Dominique Johnson came in off the bench and was the only other Kansas Wesleyan player to hit double-digits as he scored 10 on 3-of-7 from the floor, two being threes, and 2-of-4 from the stripe. Leading the team in rebounds was Jacob Lunz who pulled in five; he also scored nine on 4-of-5 shooting with a free throw.
This season, KWU is totaling 73 points a night and has a negative scoring margin of 7.6; they are capitalizing on 40% of their field goals with 24.1 percent dropping in from three. The team tabs 37.5 rebounds each time out along with 13.6 turnovers, 11.8 assists, 7.5 steals and 3.7 blocks. In their 14 conference games, the Coyotes net just 68.64 points each game while surrendering 76.71; they are scoring on 39 percent from the field, second worst in the KCAC, and 32.5% from distance. The zone defense of Kansas Wesleyan is second best in three-point field goal defense at 29.7 percent. The squad tallies 37.86 rebounds an outing along with 12.93 turnovers, 11.07 assists, 7.43 steals and 4.14 blocks.
Borovetz is averaging a team-high 13.8 points an outing, shooting in 59 three balls this season, making over 40% from downtown. Next is Johnson who buckets 12.7 on average; he's the team leader in free throws made, dropping in 73 of his 111 attempts. Jacob Lunz has recorded 84 rebounds on the year, pulling down a team-high 6.5 a night; he also averages 9.5 points.
KWU hits the road on Saturday as they travel to face Bethany College.
