Women's Basketball | 2/14/2014 3:43:00 PM
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McPherson, Kan. – It has been five games since Mac has won a contest, losing by a combined 83 points over their previous four outings. On Saturday, the Lady Bulldogs will look to resolve their losing ways as they host Ottawa University; tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. (CT) on February 15
th in the Sport Center.
This past Thursday, Mac traveled to Kansas Wesleyan University and had a difficult time scoring, totaling just 36 points in the 40-minute contest. Both teams struggled putting the ball through the hoop in the first half; McPherson was hampered by turnovers and KWU forced several ill-advised three-point attempts, only finding the bottom of the net on four of their 16 tries from range. The halftime score put the Coyotes on top 24-16. MC attempted just 13 field goals in the first period and made five, three of which were from downtown; they hit on 3-of-4 from the stripe. The Lady 'Yotes connected on 7-of-27 field goals and 6-of-8 free throws in the game's first 20 minutes.
Coming out of halftime, KWU continued to struggle shooting and McPherson took advantage, putting together a couple of runs to pull within two at the 13-minute mark; the 'Dogs were never able to overtake Kansas Wesleyan as the Coyotes pushed right back and eventually got ahead by double figures. The final charge by MC was answered with a 13-0 run by the Coyotes which gave them an insurmountable lead. With JV players ending out the contest, the home team took the 57-36 victory. The Bulldogs were 6-of-23 from the floor with one lone three ball falling through; they shot in 7-of-9 from the foul line. KWU put in 11-of-24 including 4-of-10 from beyond the arc; the team scored on 7-of-10 from the charity stripe.
MC went 11-of-36 on the night, dropping in 4-of-17 from range; 10 of their 13 free throws found the bottom of the net. The squad pulled down 30 rebounds, one less than Kansas Wesleyan. Mac also tabulated a whopping 25 turnovers, five assists, five blocks, and five steals. The Lady Bulldogs scored 15 bench points with Callie Atkins being responsible for 13.
Barton ended the game with 14 points, scoring on 5-of-10 from the floor and 2-of-2 from the stripe; she also tallied a team-high nine rebounds and three blocks. Atkins went 4-of-11 from the field; she sunk all three of her foul shots which all came as she capped off a five-point play (getting fouled on a made layup, hitting a pair of technical free throws, and the and-one attempt). The next highest point total was three which was tabbed by two different 'Dogs.
Scouting McPherson: The Lady Bulldogs sit at 8-19 on the year and have gone 4-11 against the KCAC. The team nets 59.0 points an outing while shooting in 36.2 percent from the floor and 27.2 from long range; they have converted on 69.1 percent from the charity stripe on the season. Mac tabs 38.8 rebounds a night and record 19 turnovers, 11.9 assists, 7.6 steals and 2.5 blocks on average. McPherson is tallying 58.53 points per KCAC contest, shooting in 38.2 percent from the floor and a league leading 73.2 from the foul line. The squad allows 66.27 points a night on a 38.2 shooting percentage; they are pulling down 34.73 boards with most coming on the defensive side of the court. The 'Dogs hand out 11.67 dimes, steal away 7.07 and are blocking 3.13 balls a game, third in the KCAC.
MC will have Senior Night as their next contest as they host the Lady Swedes of Bethany College; tipoff for the February 20th affair is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
Scouting Ottawa
The OU women have played a tough non-conference schedule going 4-6 but they've won 10 of their 15 KCAC games for an overall record of 14-11. The Braves will be heading into Saturday's matchup coming off a 62-58 loss to Tabor College.
The game in Hillsboro started slow with a lot of missed shots but then TC got into a rhythm and put together a mini-run to take the lead which they maintained up until the five-minute mark; OU went on an 8-0 run to take the lead with just a few ticks left and went into the break ahead 27-26. The second period went much like the first with the Lady Blue Jays taking control early and extending their lead to 10 by the midway point of the half. The Braves stayed close and even got within a bucket but there was under one minute remaining; Tabor held on and won 62-58. Ottawa counted 20-of-51 field goals including 8-of-22 from behind the three-point line; they also hit 10-fo-15 from the foul line. TC was 24-of-46 for the game and dropped in 4-of-14 from deep; the team made 10-of-19 from the stripe. The Lady Braves totaled 27 rebounds, 14 turnovers, six assists, six steals and two blocks.
Leading both teams in scoring was OU's Mikayla Skidmore as she bucketed 9-of-16 from the field and 4-of-5 from the free throw line for 24 points; she also logged a team-high three assists. Amber Ramsey scored 15 to put her second on the squad; the forward made 5-of-12 field goals and 3-of-5 foul shots. No other Brave made it into double-digits scoring but Ashley Romig did in rebounds, tallying 10.
On the season, Ottawa scores 66.12 per game while knocking in 41.5 percent from the floor and 32% from distance; they are hitting 70 percent of their free throws. The team pulls down 37.12 rebounds a night as well as 16.7 turnovers, 12.1 assists, 6.7 steals and 3.7 blocks each time they hit the court. In their 15 KCAC outings the Braves score 67.1 while surrendering 59.0, third highest in the league; they are making 42% from the field and 31.2 from long range. OU leads the conference in defensive field goal and three-point percentage at 36 and 25, respectively. They haul in close to 40 rebounds which puts them second in the conference; they're also second in blocks per game with 3.93.
Three Lady Brave players are averaging double figures scoring with Ramsey leading the charge with her 14.7ppg; she also tops the team in rebounds per game at 7.9. Romig is second on the squad with her 11.7 average; the forward has made all 293 points from either two-point range or the free throw stripe. Skidmore is the final player to get over 10 points regularly; the junior leads Ottawa in assists with 86.
OU will host KCAC leading Southwestern College for their next outing on February 20th.
