Men's Basketball | 2/17/2014 1:11:00 PM
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McPherson, Kan. – The second-round of the battle for McPherson County between the Bulldogs and Bethany College is slated for February 20
th at 8:00 p.m. (CT) with JV starting at 4:00; the Thursday night matchup is the final home contest for the 2013-14 season for McPherson and thus Senior Night.
Mac will head into Thursday's contest coming off a tough 91-88 loss to the Ottawa Braves. The two teams went back-and-forth for the first part of Saturday's competition but then OU took control and headed into the break ahead 45-39. The 'Dogs scored on 16-of-33 with five of their 13 three pointers going down; they shot just two foul shots and made both. Ottawa converted on 18-of-35 with 5-of-10 falling through from downtown; they were 4-of-6 from the charity stripe.
The opening minutes of the second half were paced by the Braves as they increased their advantage to double figures; MC attempted to keep things tight but were never able to get close. Trailing 11 with three minutes to go, McPherson made their final charge and got within three; a few possessions later and the Bulldogs were just two-points away from the Braves with 17 ticks left on the clock. A pair of missed free throws by Ottawa left the window open for Mac but their three-ball went off the rim and landed out of bounds to the Braves. OU would then make 1-of-2 from the stripe, giving the 'Dogs a sliver of hope. In the final play of the game, McPherson tried one last time at a three pointer but it landed just short, giving Ottawa the 91-88 triumph. MC dropped in 13-of-33 with 4-of-11 going down from distance; they made just 19 of their 29 free throws. Ottawa counted 17-of-26 from the floor including 3-of-7 from beyond the arc; they went 9-of-16 from the stripe, missing five tries late.
The Bulldogs scored on 29-of-66 for a 43.9 field goal percentage for the contest; the team bucketed 9-of-24 from deep and 21-of-31 from the charity stripe. Mac out-boarded Ottawa 40-32 and grabbed 15 offensive rebounds. The team tabbed 15 assists, 10 turnovers, three steals and a block in their loss. 40 of the team's points came in the paint, 21 were second-chance baskets, and 29 were scored from non-starters.
Shivers' 18 points helped push him over the 2000 point mark for his four-year career, giving him the McPherson College record for most points scored in a career; on the night, he made 5-of-7 from the floor and 7-of-9 from the free throw line while also logging the team's three steals. TJ Grant cashed in on 5-of-12 with four being from long range and 1-of-3 from the stripe for his 15 points; the junior point guard was responsible for three assists. Brian (BJ) Johnson tallied 14 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field and 6-of-12 from the foul line; he too had three assists. Devirous Johnson and D'Onte Woods each totaled 10 points; D. Johnson also had 13 rebounds, adding to his double-double collection which now sits at 20.
McPherson basketball in the National Rankings: Mac is seventh in Total Rebounds and Offensive Rebounds per Game with 1155 and 13.786, respectively; they sit 13th in Total Rebounds per Game at 41.250 and are 20th in Defensive Rebounds per Game with 27.464. D. Johnson is still the Nation's leader in rebounds, ranking first in Total Rebounds, 343, Total Rebounds per Game, 12.250, and Defensive Rebounds per game, 8.250, while being second in Offensive Rebounds per game (4.00)
Scouting the 'Dogs: MC sits at 13-15 on the year; they tally 78.8 points a night and post a 44.3 shooting percentage. The squad is making 29.5% from downtown and just 65.3 percent from the charity stripe. Mac tabulates 41.3 rebounds each time they hit the court along with 15.1 assists, 13.1 turnovers, 5.4 steals and 2.7 blocks. In the KCAC, the Bulldogs are 6-10 which puts them seventh in the rankings; they net 76.81 per contest while surrendering 77.00. The team drops in 43.5% from the floor but just 29.5 from range, placing them last in the league. They are second in the conference in rebounds per game at 41.75 and lead the KCAC in assists per game with 15.56; the 'Dogs also record 13.12 turnovers, 5.38 steals, and 2.81 blocks in each of their contests.
Mac will be on the road for their final regular season game as they travel to face the Southwestern College Moundbuilders on February 22nd.
Scouting Bethany
A couple weeks ago, the Swedes looked like the KCAC's top team but they've gone 1-3 over their last four outings and now sit tied for third; one of BC's losses came to the conference leading Friends University but the other two were to sub-.500 teams with the most recent defeat coming at home against the 5-21 Coyotes of Kansas Wesleyan to the tune of 91-81.
The two clubs went back-and-forth in the opening period and headed into halftime all square at 40 apiece. After the break, Kansas Wesleyan kept hitting shots and Bethany did not which is a rarity on their home court; as the final buzzer sounded, KWU took the 10-point victory. BC scored on 27-of-68 from the floor but saw a mere 4-of-23 three balls drop in; they made 23-of-34 from the stipe. The hot-shooting Coyotes cashed in on 31-of-61 including 11-of-24 from behind the arc; they also shot well from the foul line, making 18-of-23. Bethany got outrebounded, which also doesn't happen often, 41-31; they logged 16 assists, 14 turnovers, nine steals, and three blocks.
Idris Ibn Idris put up a game-high 30 points as he shot in 7-of-20 from the floor but was just 1-of-5 from deep; he also made 15 of his 20 foul shots. Kirby Hawkins took 21 shot attempts and made seven along with all three free throws for 19 points. Dwight Abad was the next closest to double-digits scoring with his nine points; he tabbed a team-high seven assists. Leading the way rebounds was Vincent Roybal who pulled in nine to go with his eight points.
This season the 18-9 Swedes are tallying 89.2 points a night and have a positive scoring margin of 5.5; they bucket 47.8 percent from the field and 36.4 from range, averaging 7.5 three-balls an outing. The team is recording 35.4 rebounds each game along with 13.9 turnovers, 13.2 assists, 7.2 steals and 2.2 blocks. Through their 16 conference contests, Bethany leads the way in scoring, averaging 91.5 per game while knocking down 48.9% from the floor; they are second to last in the KCAC in scoring defense, letting their opponents average 85.12 points while shooting in 46.6 percent. The Swedes are eighth in rebounds a night at 34.19 and also average 13.44 assists, 13.38 turnovers, 7.19 assists, and 1.19 blocks.
Idris is second in the NAIA D-II, second in the KCAC, and first on his team in scoring average as he totals 28ppg on 57% shooting; the senior has scored an amazing 756 points on the season while putting through 242 field goals with 50 coming from range. Idris has counted 202 of his 260 free throws and leads the team in rebounds with 174. Next on the scoring list is Hawkings as he nets 18 a night; he's started just once this season but is the team's leading three-point man, making 61 on the year. Roybal is the final Swede to average double-digits with his 10 point average; the forward is second on the overall rebounding list with 163 but averages a team-high 6.5
A trip to North Newtown, Kansas is the final contest of the regular season for Bethany as they play the winless Bethel College Threshers on February 22nd
