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McPherson, Kan. – It's been a rough stretch of games for the Lady Bulldogs as the team has lost eight in a row dating back to early December. The road doesn't get any easier for MC as they have to take on No. 15 Friends University in Wichita this Saturday at 5:00 p.m. (CT)
The most recent contest for the Lady 'Dogs started out well enough as they held an early lead on RV Southwestern College through the first 10 minutes of the opening period. The Moundbuilders owned the next several minutes as an 18-1 run put them ahead nine. The two squads traded baskets for the rest of the half and the score at the break sat at 41-30 in favor of SWC. Mac scored on 10-of-26 field goals and 9-of-12 free throws. The Builders knocked in 10-of-30 from the floor and 16-of-20 from the charity stripe.
In the second half, Southwestern quickly pushed their advantage to 20 less than five minutes in. McPherson tried to rally but their shots wouldn't fall. The Moundbuilders jumped up by 30+ for the final five minutes and left the gym winning 81-48. MC went 7-of-27 in the final 20 minutes and made only one of their 10 three-point tries. SWC connected on 15-of-30 from the field and saw 4-of-9 three balls go down.
In the game, McPherson scored on 17-of-53 field goals and were just 2-of-17 from distance, 11.8%; they connected on 12-of-18 free throws. Mac was outrebounded 44-31 but were able to grab 12 offensive boards. They logged 20 turnovers, 12 assists, six steals, and five blocks. 38 of the Bulldogs' total came in the paint and 16 were scored by reserves.
Bailey Brown knocked in 6-of-11 from the floor and 3-of-4 from the stripe for her team-high 15 points; she also tabbed three rebounds and three assists. Georgia Smart entered the game from the bench to score 12; she was 5-of-14 from the field and 2-of-4 from the foul line; she pulled in a team leading six rebounds. Callie Atkins knocked in both of McPherson's three-point buckets and added another two pointer for her eight points.
Mac in the Rankings: Alicia Demaret is 18th in the NAIA D-II in total blocks with 33 and sits 23rd in blocks per game at 1.7. Sunny Smart is 20th in total three-point field goals made with 45.
The Bulldogs will stay on the road for their next outing as they travel to Leavenworth, Kansas where they will take on the University of Saint Mary in a special Wednesday night contest on January 21st; start time is set for 6:00 p.m. (CT)
Scouting Friends
The Lady Falcons, who were the KCAC coaches pick to win the conference back in October, are currently 14-5 on the year and have gone 6-1 in the league; their lone conference loss was to Southwestern last Thursday. Friends heads into the weekend matchup with Mac coming off a pair of victories. The team took down Bethany College 75-44 this past Saturday and then held off the University of Saint Mary earlier this week, 64-59.
In the matchup with USM, both teams had troubles scoring early on as the first field goal was not counted until nearly four minutes had gone by. The Spires scored nine of the first 12 points and took a quick lead on the nationally ranked Falcons. Saint Mary held their slim advantage on FU for most of the opening period and headed into the locker room up 24-23. Each team made eight field goals and four free throws in the first half; the Spires bucketed one more three, 4-of-10, than Friends, 3-of-12, which accounted for the one-point difference.
USM scored the first four points to increase their lead but a 6-0 run put the Falcons on top. The teams traded leads for the next several minutes. After trailing by as many as five, Saint Mary went on a 10-1 run to go ahead five with seven minutes remaining. Friends answered with a 14-3 run which put them up for good. The Falcons didn't hit all their free throws down the stretch but made just enough to help them hold on for the 64-59 win. FU recorded a 12-of-36 showing from the field matched with making 14-of-21 free throws. Saint Mary posted a slightly better shooting percentage, 37.5%, but made just nine field goals with two coming from distance; they connected on 15-of-19 from the stripe.
Friends ended the game making 20-of-70 from the floor with 6-of-21 three balls dropping through; they converted on 18-of-26 from the foul line. 44 rebounds were grabbed by the Falcons, 19 of which were offensive boards. They had an even 12 assists and 12 turnovers while tabbing 13 steals and three blocks.
Kayla Justice scored a team-high 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting along with 1-of-2 free throws falling. The only other double-digit scorer for FU was Taylor Williams who had 13 with most coming from the foul stripe where she was 7-of-8; the reserve led the team in rebounds with eight. Both Kaylan Sanders and Alicia Hines added nine points to the cause; Hines recorded a team-high five steals while playing 27+ minutes.
This year Friends averages 64.4 points a night and they have a positive scoring margin of 7.6. The team makes 38.3 percent from the floor but just 29% from deep; they connect on 61.6 percent from the free throw line. On average, the Falcons grab 40.6 rebounds a night, turn the ball over 17.8 times, steal away 13.3 balls, dish out 11.2 assists, and block 1.8 shots.
Friends is led in scoring by Kayla Mollere who nets 14.3 points per game; she also tabs a team-high 7.3 rebounds a night. Mykel Boyd is second on the list with her 12.1 average. Justice puts in 9.5 points a night and has made a team-high 35 three-point field goals; she plays in over 31 minutes per contest which is the highest for FU.
The Lady Falcons will travel to Bethel College for their next game.
