Women's Basketball | 2/21/2014 12:04:00 PM
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McPherson, Kan. – The final game of Mac's 2013-14 regular season is scheduled to be played in Winfield, Kansas against the KCAC Regular Season Champion Lady Moundbuilders of Southwestern College; start time is 5:00 p.m. (CT). A win will get the Lady 'Dogs the sixth seed while a loss drops them to either seventh or eighth; the top eight teams make it into the postseason so MC is guaranteed a spot in the tourney.
Thursday night, the Bulldogs continued their avenging stretch as they blew out the visiting Swedes of Bethany College 69-38; BC inched one out against Mac earlier in the season in Lindsborg. McPherson came out firing from the get-go and scored the first 10 points; they quickly got ahead by double figures and held BC to just 17 first half points, taking a 31-17 advantage into the break. The Bulldogs put 13 of their 22 field goals through the hoop but were only 2-of-8 from downtown; the team scored on 3-of-7 from the foul stripe. Bethany knocked down just 6-of-28 from the floor with 2-of-16 three balls being counted; the Swedes made all three of their free throws in the opening period.
Within the first five minutes of the closing half, Mac saw their lead get over the 20-point mark which is where it stayed for all but one possession in the last 15 minutes. With mainly reserves playing the final five, the Bulldogs increased their advantage to 30+ which is where the contest ended as McPherson won 69-38. MC made 13 field goals for the second-straight half but took two more shots for a 54.2% conversion rate; 3-of-7 three balls and 9-of-12 free throws hit the bottom of the net. Bethany converted on a mere 5-of-28 with two of those coming from distance; they went 9-of-10 from the charity stripe.
Mac closed out the night shooting in an outstanding 56.5 from the field, 26-of-46; they made 5-of-15 from downtown and 12-of-19 from the foul stripe. 41 rebounds were tallied by the 'Dogs compared to 38 of the Swedes. MC also netted 20 assists, 18 turnovers 11 steals and three blocks. A whopping 52 points of McPherson's 69 were tabbed inside the paint and 20 came off of turnovers.
Bailey Brown continued her high-scoring rampage as she logged 19 on 7-of-8 shooting with 3-of-5 foul shots dropping; she also grabbed seven rebounds and had four steals. 15 points were scored by Aubrey Barton who had six rebounds and two blocks as well. Cami Engelbert ended the night with 10 points, making 5-of-6 field goals. On Senior Night, the four-year player Bre Gillespie recorded eight rebounds, seven assists, six points, two steals, and a block.
Lady 'Dogs in the NAIA Rankings: After holding Bethany to a 14.8 three-point shooting percentage, McPherson moves up to 17th in the NAID D-II in Defensive Three-Point Field Goal Percentage at 28.3%; they are also 21st in total Defensive Field Goal Percentage at 36.8 percent. Barton is 32nd in Total Blocks with her 39 swats of the ball.
Scouting McPherson: The 10-19 'Dogs have far surpassed their preseason goals as they've hit double-digit wins; the team nets 59.8 points a night and has a negative scoring margin of 4.5 on the year. They shoot in 37.1 percent from the floor, 27.9 from deep and 68.7 from the stripe. Through their 29 outings, Mac is pulling down an average of 39.1 rebounds and tab 18.9 turnovers, 12.3 assists, 7.7 steals and 2.6 blocks. In their 17 KCAC contests, MC is scoring 59.82 while allowing 62.24; they knock down 39.5 percent of their field goals and hold their opponent to 38.6%. The team's free throw percentage is second in the league at 71.9. McPherson is rebounding 35.76 each night and has a positive rebounding margin of 2.0; the 'Dogs also net 18.94 turnovers, 12.24 assists, 7.24 steals and 3.18 blocks when playing KCAC institutions.
Depending on how things shake down on Saturday, Mac will travel to either Southwestern, Friends, or Tabor next Wednesday, February 26 in the opening round of the 2013-14 KCAC Postseason Tournament.
Scouting Southwestern
The Moundbuilders won the regular season crown a week ago with a victory over Tabor College but have not let off the gas since as they continue to go undefeated through the KCAC; SWC sits 25-3 overall, 17-0 in the league and have won 13-straight. The team's latest triumph came in their final road test of the year against the Ottawa Braves; Southwestern eked out a close one 70-67.
Playing in their home gym, OU got out quick and stayed up by a handful for the first 15 minutes before the Builders leap-frogged Ottawa taking a lead that they did not relinquish for the rest of the half; Southwestern was up 36-30 at the break. In the second, the two squads went tit-for-tat the entire way with SWC staying out in front but never by more than a few; Ottawa could not get the combination of stops and makes down the stretch and fell to the Moundbuilders 70-67. Southwestern scored on 23-of-57 including 10-of-18 from downtown; they hit 14-of-19 from the charity stripe. Ottawa, who usually shoots lights out at home, made just 22-of-65 and struggled from deep, going 4-of-21; they did cash in on 19-of-22 from the free throw line. The Builders tallied 43 rebounds, 19 turnovers, 15 assists, five steals and three blocks in their win.
Jordan Hobbs entered from the bench to score a team-high 18 points for SWC; she was 5-of-8 from the floor with a pair from distance and also made 6-of-7 from the foul line; she also pulled in five rebounds in her 28 minutes of play. The other Hobbs twin, Jessica, put up 15 points on 5-of-7 from deep and 1-of-2 from the stripe. Sheri Zoglmann added 12 points as she made 4-of-8 from the floor and 2-of-3 from the free throw line. Jana Reichenberger rebounded eight and scored seven.
This year, Southwestern is scoring 76.5 points a night and has a positive scoring margin of 10.7; they are making 42% from the floor and 35.6 from beyond the arc. The team grabs 40.5 rebounds each game as well as 15.9 assists, 13.8 turnovers, 7.7 steals and 2.4 blocks. In their conference outings, SWC leads the league in scoring as they average 74.47 points on 42.8 percent shooting; they allow 63.53 points and a 37.7 field goal percentage to their opponents. The team's three-point average of 35.3 percent is tops of the KCAC as is their three-point field goals made 146, and assists per contest which sits at 16.59; the team nets 12.12 turnovers, 7.47 steals, and 2.53 blocks.
Je. Hobbs is the top scorer for 2013-14 as she tabs 12.5 points a night, being the lone Builder to hit double-digits regularly; she has made over 40% from the floor and a team-high 78 three balls. Four Lady Builders are scoring over eight a contest with Reichenberger leading the charge with her 9.5ppg; the sophomore post leads the team in rebounds with a 6.9 average. Zoglmann, Trinicia Shaffer, and Jo. Hobbs are all three netting between 8.2 and 8.5 each time they hit the court; Zoglmann and Jo. Hobbs have made 49 and 38 three balls, respectively while Shaffer leads the team in assists with 177 and is second in the NAIA in assists per game at 6.321
Southwestern will host the No. 8 seed of the upcoming conference tournament on February 26th.
