Women's Basketball | 2/4/2014 11:26:00 AM
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McPherson, Kan. – It's set to be tough week for the Lady Bulldog basketball program as they face the two second-place KCAC teams in Friends University and Tabor College. Mac travels to Wichita, Kansas to square off with the Falcons on Thursday, February 6 for a 6:00 p.m. tipoff.
MC is coming off an up-and-down, back-and-forth contest with Sterling College. This past Saturday, the 'Dogs traveled to Sterling and had a great first five minutes, getting ahead by nearly double-digits. The Warriors closed out the half strong and went into their locker room with a one-point, 28-27 advantage. Mac hit on 10-of-24 from the field but failed to make any of their eight shots from behind the arc; they counted 7-of-7 from the charity stripe. Sterling also hit 10 shots but attempted 23; they were 4-of-12 from deep and 4-of-5 from the foul line.
The start of the second period was controlled by SC; they increased their advantage to double figures just a few minutes into the half. McPherson pushed back but was always answered by the Lady Warriors. Sterling got ahead by as many as 13 and held off two runs of the 'Dogs for a 70-63 victory. Mac converted on 8-of-22 from the floor with 3-of-9 from deep; they shot in 17 of their 22 free throws. SC was 14-of-28 for the final 20 minutes, recording four from deep and 10-of-12 from the stripe.
For the game, McPherson shot in 18-of-45 for a 40% field goal percentage; 3-of-16 from downtown fell in as did 24-of-29 from the charity stripe, an impressive 82.8 percent. The team tallied 34 rebounds, eight more than Sterling, while logging 20 turnovers, nine steals, seven assists and two blocks.
Chandler Short led the Bulldogs in scoring as she scored 19 on 4-of-7 from the floor including all three of her team's three balls; she also cashed in on 8-of-9 from the stripe while pulling down four rebounds and grabbing two steals. Bailey Brown and Cami Engelbert each totaled 12 points; Brown, who also stole away a team-high four balls, was 3-of-8 from the floor and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line while Engelbert counted 6-of-12 from the field. Leading the way in rebounds was Aubrey Barton who had seven to go along with her eight points.
Scouting McPherson: The 'Dogs hold an 8-16 record with four of their 12 conference games going their way, putting them tied for seventh in the league. MC is scoring 60.5 points a night and make 36.1 percent of their field goals including 27.8% from behind the arc. The squad tallies close to 40 rebounds a contest and has a positive rebounding margin of 1.2. They tab 18.8 turnovers, 12.3 assists, 8.0 steals and 2.3 blocks per game. In their conference competitions, the Bulldogs net 61.42 points per outing, shooting in 38.4 from the floor; they are tops of the KCAC in free throw percentage at 73.6 percent. They rank near the bottom of the league in three-point percentage and are in the middle in defensive field goal/three-point percentage. Mac logs 18.7 turnovers, 12.3 assists, 7.8 steals, and 2.8 blocks against conference opponents.
On Saturday, February 8, McPherson will host the Tabor College Blue Jays at 5:00 p.m.; it will be the annual Pink-Out Night so be sure to wear your pink as the teams helps support breast cancer awareness.
Scouting Friends
The Lady Falcons have won 18 games this season, losing just six; they are 9-3 in the KCAC and sit tied with Tabor College for second place. Friends has won 11 of their past 13 contests but lost two of their last three. Their most recent contest was a victory over the Lady Spires of the University of Saint Mary; FU took out Saint Mary 83-39 in Leavenworth last Saturday.
Friends had no issues dismantling Saint Mary as they took a 44-16 lead into the locker room; USM would score 23 in the second period but the Falcons put in 39, giving them the blowout. Friends put in 48.5% from the floor, making 33-of-68 with just 3-of-13 going down from deep; they saw 14 of their 21 free throws fall in. The Lady Falcons allowed Saint Mary to score only five field goals, shooting a 17.9 field goal percentage. It was a sloppy one for the Spires as they turned the ball over 25 times, Friends logged 13 steals. Friends also tabbed 40 rebounds, 11 turnovers, 10 assists, and two blocks.
15 different athletes played for the Lady Falcons in their win with each one getting at least one basket. Sarah Munds led the way with her 13 in just 19 minutes of play; she was 5-of-7 from the field with 3-of-5 falling from downtown. Kayla Mollere and Shaw-Nee Winningham each tallied 12 points; Winningham led the team with 11 rebounds, five coming off the offensive glass.
Friends is scoring 66.9 points an outing while surrendering 56.3; they shoot in 41% of their field goals including 30 percent from beyond the three-point line. The team nets 39.3 rebounds a contest and outrebounds their opponent by four or more on a daily basis. They total 16.1 turnovers, 13.6 assists, 11.5 steals and 2.0 blocks a night through their 24 competitions. Against the KCAC, the Flacons score 68.1 while giving up a league leading 55.75; they score 42.4 percent of their shots, allowing just 37.5% of their oppositions shots to fall, second best in the conference. They are pulling in 38.9 rebounds and have the second highest rebounding margin at 4.67. The team logs 14.25 turnovers, 14.0 assists, 12.25 steals, and 2.25 blocks in their 12 KCAC outings; they lead the league in steals per game and turnover margin.
This season, Munds is averaging 16.7 points per game, shooting in 45.5 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from long range; she's made a team-high 63 from behind the arc and also leads the way in blocks with 13. Next on the list is Mollere who nets 14.0 a night and also pulls down a team leading 8.5 rebounds; she is hitting 54% from the floor and had made a team-high 51 foul shots but scores on just 48.1 percent from the stripe. Winningham has played just two games this season, averaging 11 points each contest. Kayla Justice is the final Falcon to hit double-digits regularly; she is scoring 10.3 and has made 52 three balls on the year, second to Munds.
Friends hits the road on Saturday as they travel to Salina, Kansas to face the Kansas Wesleyan Lady 'Yotes.
