Men's Basketball | 2/4/2014 12:50:00 PM
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McPherson, Kan. – For the second-straight game, McPherson basketball gets the challenge of playing on the road against one of the top teams in the KCAC; this time it's in Wichita, Kansas as the 'Dogs attempt to knock off the 18-5, 9-3 Friends University Falcons. Tipoff for the February 6
th contest is set for 8:00 p.m. (CT) with junior varsity starting at 4:00
Bulldog basketball is coming off a loss against the conference leading Sterling College Warriors. Multiple opportunities were given to McPherson in the game's opening minutes but the 'Dogs were only able to take advantage of a few of them, leaving the window open for the home team Warriors. After missing several shots in the first 10 minutes of play, Sterling turned it on late and rode an 11-0 run to put them ahead by 15 just before half; Mac pulled closer as the clocked drained but still trailed 42-33 at the break. MC knocked in 11-of-32 from the floor with 3-of-8 dropping from deep; they counted 8-of-11 free throws. The Warriors converted on 14-of-33 with seven falling in from range; they went 7-of-15 from the charity stripe.
Mac charged out of the gate in the second half, keeping their deficit in single figures but another run by SC put Sterling at a comfortable distance. The Bulldogs struggled hitting shots and never got close again, losing 71-58. The 'Dogs were a mere 7-of-21 from the floor in the second half with 0-of-4 from long range dropping through; they made 11-of-18 from the stripe. Sterling didn't shoot the ball well either but survived on the misfortunes of MC; the Warriors made 9-of-32 from the field with 3-of-16 from downtown and 8-of-10 from the free throw line.
The Bulldogs shot 34% for the night, counting 18-of-53 from the floor with only 3-of-12 going through from beyond the arc; they scored 19-of-29 from the stripe. 45 rebounds were tabulated by Mac, one more than SC, and 16 came off the offensive backboard. McPherson logged 17 turnovers, seven assists, two steals and one block in their loss.
Brian (BJ) Johnson scored 19 to lead MC on offense; he went 5-of-14 from the field and 9-of-14 from the foul line while grabbing a career-high 15 rebounds. Samson Shivers made 3-of-8 from the floor and 3-of-4 from the stripe for his 11 points. The final Bulldog to garner double figures in scoring was Devirous Johnson who had 10 on 3-of-7 shooting with four free throws; the forward was one rebound away from not only another double-double but from tying the McPherson College school record for most rebounds in a season.
MC in the NAIA: Bulldog basketball has an even 1000 rebounds on the year, putting them sixth in the Nation; they are 10th in offensive boards a night (13.542), 12th in total rebounds a game (41.667), and 16th in defensive rebounds per contest (28.125). D. Johnson is first in the NAIA in Total Rebounds (298), Total Rebounds per Game (12.417), Defensive Rebounds per Game (8.375), and second in Offensive Rebounds per Game (4.042).
Scouting the 'Dogs: McPherson is currently sixth in the KCAC with a 5-7 conference record. The Bulldogs score an average of 77.3 points a night while allowing 78.1; they shoot in 43.7 percent from the floor with just 26.7% dropping from distance. The team pulls in 41.7 rebounds per contest, 3.3 more than their opponent on the year. MC logs 14.5 assists, 13.2 turnovers, 5.3 steals and 2.8 blocks each time out. In their conference games thus far, Mac is scoring 73.17 while giving up 73.08; they bucket 42% from the field and a KCAC-worst 23.2 from the arc. The team is second in the league in rebounds per game at 42.75 and has a positive rebounding margin of 2.92; they record a KCAC-high 14.58 assists a night while logging 13.3 turnovers, 5.17 steals and 2.92 blocks.
Bulldog basketball will host Tabor College on February 8th with JV playing a 3:00 p.m. and the varsity squad at 7:00. It is scheduled to be the annual Pink-Out Night in McPherson as the teams promote Breast Cancer Awareness.
Scouting Friends
The Falcons had a stretch of 16-straight wins but have since gone 2-3; the three defeats came at the hands of Sterling College (91-87), Tabor College (78-74) and most recently the University of Saint Mary (73-71). The loss to USM this past Saturday dropped them out of the top spot of the KCAC; they are now 9-3 in conference contests.
In the game in Leavenworth, Saint Mary took a one-point lead into the locker room following a low scoring first half, 29-28. The second period heated up as 87 total points were scored, 44 by the home team as the Spires rebounded from their loss to McPherson for a 73-71 win. Not often when they shoot over 50% from the floor does a team lose but that's what happened to Friends as they bucketed 25-of-49 with 6-of-18 dropping from distance; they made just 15 of their 23 tries from the foul line. USM counted 27-of-49, 55.1 percent, including 7-of-17 from beyond the arc; for being the KCAC's top free throw shooting team, the Spires didn't show it on Saturday as they converted only 12-of-24 from the stripe. The Falcons had 31 rebounds, 16 turnovers, five assists, five steals and two blocks in their loss.
Coach Faber went through 12 guys on Saturday for Friends. The NAIA's leading scorer Joe Mitchell scored just 21 points, over 10 below his season average; he was 8-of-13 from the floor and 3-of-6 from the stripe. Anthony White came in second with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and 5-of-6 from the foul line; he also recorded a team-high nine rebounds. 13 points were tallied by Brett Williams as he made four of his seven field goals and 2-of-3 from the free throw line; he hauled in eight boards as well. The final Falcon to hit double-digits was Colton Rausch as he logged 11 points on a perfect day of shooting; he made 4-of-4 from the floor and 3-of-3 from the charity stripe.
Friends has scored over 2000 points this season, averaging 87.9 per outing; they have a positive scoring margin of 13.7 and hit over 50% of their shot attempts. The Falcons score an average of 9.6 three balls a night, putting 40.3 percent of their tries through the hoop. While they only log 33.5 rebounds a contest, Friends has a rebounding margin of 2.2. In their 23 games this season, the team tabulates 14.8 assists, 11.9 turnovers, 7.6 steals and 2.5 blocks a game. While playing KCAC squads, FU ranks in the top third in just about every statistical category. They are second in points scored a contest at 86.75 and sit first in total defense (71.58), scoring margin (15.17), free throw percentage (75.7), and field goal percentage (50.7). They rebound just 35.33 a night but still have a positive rebound margin, 2.92. The Falcons record 14.25 assists, 11.17 turnovers, 7.67 steals and 2.67 blocks each time they play a league institution.
The tops of the NAIA D-II, Mitchell is netting 32.9 points a game, scoring 59.6 percent of his field goals; he also leads the team in free throws made with 220 and averages 32.6 minutes played per contest. Rausch is second on the list with his 14.7 average; the forward leads the Falcons in three-point field goals with 61 on the year as he buckets 46.6 percent from distance. Zach Nelson has an 11.2ppg average, making over 40% from both two-point and three-point range. The final Friends player to score over 10 consistently is White as he nets 11.0 each time out; he is the team's top rebounder as he pulls in 6.3 a game.
The Falcons travel to Kansas Wesleyan University on February 8th for their next contest.
