Men's Basketball | 2/14/2014 3:53:00 PM
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McPherson, Kan. – Coming off a trio of games where they've trailed by a combined 32 points within the first few minutes, Bulldog basketball will need to get off to a quick start against the Ottawa University Braves on Saturday as they look to continue to climb up the conference ladder; start time for the February 15
th competition is set for 7:00 p.m. (CT) with the junior varsity playing at 3:00
Unlike their two previous contests, Mac was able to bounce back from a slow start last night as they took out Kansas Wesleyan University in overtime by a score of 102-95. The 'Dogs got down by nine before the 10-minute mark but went on a run to take the lead heading into the midway point of the half. McPherson led by seven with time winding down but the Coyotes scored the final six points, bringing the game to a 41-40 halftime score. MC made 14-of-27 with 50% of their 10 three balls dropping; they converted on 8-of-11 from the charity stripe. KWU knocked down 14-of-24 with 4-of-9 going in from distance; they made eight of their nine free throws.
In the second period, the Bulldogs held the lead most of the way but never by more than five points; there were seven ties and multiple lead changes in the final 20 minutes. Again, Mac was ahead by a couple baskets late but four-straight points were scored by the 'Yotes to close out the half, forcing overtime. In the extra period, it started a bit bumpy by MC as a technical foul shifted the momentum towards Kansas Wesleyan. The 'Dogs bounced back and never missed a shot in the last five minutes, scoring 22 which was good enough for a 102-95 win. For the final 25 minutes, McPherson connected on 15-of-32 including 6-of-15 from downtown; they only shot six free throws and made half. The Coyotes went 12-of-25 from the floor and 3-of-11 from beyond the arc; they were 13-of-15 from the line.
MC closed out the game seeing 35-of-65 field goals drop including a season-high 15 three balls on 29 attempts; they made 17-of-23 from the foul line. The team tabulated 38 rebounds with 16 coming off the offensive glass. Mac also netted 21 assists, 19 turnovers, nine steals and a pair of blocks. 41 of the team's total points came from bench players and for the first time this season, they scored more points off of three pointers than they did in the paint.
Samson Shivers led the game in scoring with his 26 points, coming on 8-of-15 from the field with all eight entering the hoop from behind the arc; he also made both his free throws. Woods scored on 6-of-9 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the stripe for career-high 18 points; he also grabbed seven rebounds and had three steals. Devirous Johnson put in 14 points on 7-of-12 shooting; he also grabbed a team leading nine rebounds and logged three assists. Both Erik DeRoo and TJ Grant scored 11 points; DeRoo hit 3-of-6 from three-point land and 1-of-1 from inside the arc while Grant had most of his points come from the stripe, going 6-of-6. The Texas Trio (Shivers, Woods and DeRoo) tabulated over half of the team's total points, scoring 55.
Bulldogs among the NAIA Rankings: The 'Dogs are now sitting fifth in the NAIA D-II in Total Rebounds with 1115 and are still in the top-20 in Rebounds per Game (41.296), Offensive Rebounds per Game (13.741) and Defensive Rebounds per Game (27.556). D. Johnson, despite only tallying nine boards last night, still leads the Nation in his three categories (Total Rebounds (330), Rebounds per Game (12.222), and Defensive Rebounds per Game (8.222)) and is second in Offensive Rebounds per Game (4.00).
Scouting MC: The triple-digit finish from their previous contest pushed Mac's average scoring total to 78.407 on the year; the 13-14 Bulldog squad is making 44.3 percent from the field and 29.1 from downtown. The team is hauling in 41.296 rebounds a night and also logs 15.074 assists, 13.185 turnovers, 5.481 steals and 2.778 blocks per contest. In their 15 conference outings, McPherson tabs 76.07 points while shooting 43.4% from the field; they have the third best scoring defense at 76.07 and allow their opponent to make a KCAC leading 42.1 percent. The 'Dogs rank second in rebounds a night with 41.87 and sit first with their 15.6 assists per game average.
Senior Night is next on the docket for Bulldog basketball as they host Bethany College for their final home game of the 2013-14 season; tipoff for the JV is 4:00 p.m. with the varsity starting at 8:00
Scouting Ottawa
The Braves sit at 11-14 on the year and 6-9 in the KCAC, tied with McPherson and Southwestern for sixth in the KCAC with three games remaining. After posting a record of 4-5 the first time around the conference, OU has gone 2-4 and is coming off a tough one-point loss to the Tabor Blue Jays, dropping the 90-89 contest in Hillsboro.
Ottawa started a different lineup on Thursday but played their regulars for most of the contest; the Braves had a solid opening period and headed into the locker room ahead 48-43. In the second, Tabor protected their house, winning the half 47-41 and then the game 90-89. OU scored on over 50% of their shots, cashing in on 35-of-69 from the field and 9-of-18 from the arc; they connected on 10-of-14 from the charity stripe. The Blue Jays went an impressive 34-of-53 from the floor, seeing five of their 11 three balls go in; they also converted on 17-of-25 from the foul line. Ottawa logged 32 rebounds, 16 turnovers, 13 assists, seven steals and three blocks in their loss.
Adam Hasty led all scoring, putting in 26 points for the Braves; he drained 10-of-21 from the floor and 3-of-6 from the free throw line. For the first time all season, Julian Rose entered the game from the bench but still played 37 minutes; he led the team in rebounding with six and also scored 23 points on 7-of-14 shooting with all four of his foul shots falling through. Also coming in from the bench, Colin Nichols put 15 points towards the cause on a 6-of-8 night with a pair of free throws. Bryan Newton was the fourth and final Brave to hit double-digits; he dropped in 6-of-10 field goals for his 12 points.
This season, OU nets 78.44 points each time out, hitting 42.8 percent from the field, 33.3 from distance, and 71.6 from the foul stripe; their scoring margin sits at negative 1.32. The team is third in the NAIA in rebounding average at 43.8 and leads the Nation in defensive rebounds a contest with 30.8. They record 15.4 turnovers, 13.4 assists, 5.2 blocks and a NAIA seventh highest 4.48 blocks on average. When playing KCAC opponents, Ottawa scores 78.4 each game while allowing 80.07; they score on 42.2% from the floor and 34.9 from downtown; their free throw percentage of 73.5 is third best in the conference. The squad tops the league in rebounds and blocks a contest with 43.93 and 4.53, respectively. They also net 15.07 turnovers, 12.93 assists and 4.93 steals; their turnover margin of -4.13 is a conference worst.
Rose is one-point shy of hitting 500 for the season and averages a team leading 20 points a game; he's knocked down 157 field goals, 40 three-point buckets and 145 free throws, all team highs. Kameron Lindsay, who has not played the previous two games, averages 15.1 points a night; he's second on the list in field goals, three pointers and free throws made. Adam Hasty has played in just 14 games this season but nets 12.3 each time he has competed. The final OU player that averages double-digits is Alex Lundy who pulls in 10 points on a regular basis; the junior forward has blocked a team-high 37 balls.
Ottawa ends the season with a pair of home games; they host Southwestern then finish the year against Saint Mary.
