Men's Basketball | 2/21/2014 2:00:00 PM
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McPherson, Kan. – Conference seeding is at stake for Bulldog Basketball as they travel to Winfield, Kansas on February 22
nd to take on the Southwestern College Moundbuilders; the victor of Saturday's 7:00 p.m. (CT) contest is guaranteed the seventh seed with the other having to face the KCAC's top team.
Both the Swedes and McPherson came out hot this past Thursday, leading to a high-scoring, fast-paced first half; Bethany stayed out in front for most of the way and were up by as many as nine. The Bulldogs took a one-point advantage into the locker room as D'Onte Woods hit a three pointer at the buzzer to give Mac the 45-44 halftime lead. MC went 17-of-35 from the floor including 6-of-15 from behind the arc; the team went 5-of-8 from the free throw line. Bethany scored on 19-of-35 with five of their 11 tries from downtown going through; the Swedes took and made one foul shot in the first 20 minutes.
After losing the lead on the opening possession of the second period, McPherson took it right back and never trailed for the rest of the contest. The score margin was tight for the first few minutes but then the 'Dogs put a mini-run together to take a double-digit advantage with just over 10 minutes left in the contest; MC held off any Bethany run and came out victorious 107-93. The Bulldogs shot in 18-of-32 in the second half, dropping in 5-of-10 from distance and 21-of-28 from the charity stripe. BC cashed in on 17-of-29 from the floor including just 1-of-8 from long range; they made 14-of-19 from the foul line.
McPherson shot in 52.2 percent of their field goals, 35-of-67, with 11-of-25 three balls finding the bottom of the net; they went 26-of-36 from the stripe in the 40-minute contest. The 'Dogs killed it on the boards, grabbing 40 to Bethany's 27; 15 of Mac's rebounds came off the offensive glass. MC tallied 58 points in the paint, 20 being second chance buckets and 16 coming on the fast break.
TJ Grant scored 25 points in the second half to lead all scorers with his career-high 27 for the game as he put 8-of-13 field goals through including 3-of-4 from range as well as knocking down 8-of-11 free throws; the junior dished out nine dimes and also recorded seven rebounds. Samson Shivers netted 26 on 8-of-17 shooting from the floor and 6-of-9 from the charity stripe. Starting for the first time this season, Woods scored a career-high 24, making 10-of-16 from the floor including 3-of-6 from deep; he was 1-of-2 from the line and also tabbed six rebounds, four steals, and three assists. Devirous Johnson added 10 to the effort, making 3-of-6 field goals and all four free throws; he also grabbed 12 rebounds for his 20th double-double of the season. The final senior, Erik DeRoo, scored five points in his final game in the Sport Center.
The NAIA Rankings and Mac: The Bulldogs are still one of the top rebounding squads in the Nation as they're sixth in Total Rebounds for the year with 1195 and eighth in Offensive Rebounds per Game with 13.828; the team is 13th in Total Rebounds per Game at 41.207 and 20th in Total Assists with 445. Johnson ranks first in Total Rebounds (355), Total Rebounds per Game (12.241), Defensive Rebounds per Game (12.241), and third in Offensive Rebounds per Game (3.966); the senior is also first in double-doubles with 20 on the year.
Scouting the Bulldogs: MC sits at 14-15 on the year as they average 79.7 points a game while shooting in 44.6 percent from the floor; they drop in 30.1% from deep and 65.6 from the stripe. The team tabs 41.2 rebounds an outing as well as 15.3 assists, 13.0 turnovers, 5.5 steals and 2.6 blocks. Through their 17 KCAC games, where they're 7-10, Mac scores 78.59 and drop in 44% of their field goals including 30.7 from distance; the 'Dogs are allowing 77.94 points to their foes who cash in on 43.9 from the floor. They are second in rebounding average at 41.65 but sit first in assists per game at 16.0; McPherson nets 13.06 turnovers, 5.53 steals and 2.65 blocks each time they hit the court.
Bulldog basketball will either travel to Sterling College or Friends University on February 27th depending on the results of a few games this Saturday.
Scouting Southwestern
The Moundbuilders have had a streaky season, winning a few here but then getting into a losing skid; SWC has come on late however as they're 5-2 over the past seven contests. The latest matchup for the Builders was at Ottawa University this past Thursday; a 19-point first half ruined Southwestern's chances, giving OU an easy 84-63 triumph.
It was slow scoring to start off the contest but Ottawa amassed a double-digit lead before the midway point of the half; a 15-0 run by the Braves essentially sunk SWC as it put the Builders in a 20-point hole with five to play in the first period. Coming out of the locker room leading 44-19, OU put it in cruise control for the final 20 minutes, trading buckets with Southwestern to ensure their victory which came to the tune of an 84-63 score line. The Moundbuilders made just 24 of their 75 shot attempts including 6-of-17 from distance and 9-of-17 from the charity stripe. Ottawa was on the other end of the spectrum as they made 33-of-67 with 9-of-21 going down from long range; they also hit 9-of-12 from the foul line. SWC logged 40 rebounds nine assists, five turnovers, five steals and a block in their defeat.
Alex Tyler scored 22 to lead the Moundbuilders; he was 8-of-14 from the floor with 3-of-4 three balls and 3-of-5 free throws going through. William Tisdale knocked down five of his 20 field goals and 1-of-4 from the line for his 11 points; he tabulated a team-high seven rebounds. The final Southwestern player to make it to double figures was Bryan Lipsey who scored 10. The leading scorer for the Builders, Cameron Clark, played just 20 minutes while scoring six points on 1-of-6 field goals and 4-of-5 free throws.
SWC is scoring 77.6 points a night while shooting in 42.3 percent from the floor and 32.1 from downtown; 6.7 three balls are dropped in by the Moundbuilders on average. The squad tabs 41.4 rebounds, 13.3 assists, 13.2 turnovers, 5.3 steals and 2.3 blocks every time they hit the court. Through their KCAC contests, Southwestern is scoring 73.1 points while surrendering 76.45; they drain 40.7 from the floor and 31.9 from downtown. The team records 39.1 rebounds, 13.0 assists, 12.71 turnovers, 4.41 steals and 1.76 blocks a game.
Clark scores 21 points on average and has made a team-high 209 field goals and 124 free throws on the year; he also leads the Builders in rebounds netting 9.4 per contest. Tisdale is second on the list and the only other SWC player to hit double-digits more often than not; he buckets 13.5 each time out and also pulls down 7.3 rebounds. Lipsey is the team's top three-point shooter as he's made 54 on the year; the guard makes 37.5% from long range. Tyler, who is one of two seniors, has dished out a team high 120 assists through his 28 games played.
One of the two teams playing in Winfield on Saturday will face Sterling and the other will take on Friends on February 27thdepending on how things work themselves out.
