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McPherson, Kan. – On a special Wednesday night contest, the Bulldogs will make the trek to Leavenworth, Kansas for an 8:00 p.m. (CT) battle with the University of Saint Mary Spires.
Mac will enter the game on a two-game losing streak with the most recent defeat coming in heart-breaking fashion as they lost 68-66 to Friends University this past Saturday. The 'Dogs held the early lead but, following a score-less five minute stretch, the Falcons surged forward and took a 32-28 advantage into the locker room. MC hit on 12-of-32 with three from deep while Friends shot in 13-of-24, also with three from range.
The Bulldogs jumped out in the second half and took a five-point lead just a few minutes in. McPherson led throughout most of the final period but a 12-3 run by FU put the Falcons ahead three with just 41 seconds to go. After things were all square, Friends connected on a pair of foul shot to go up two points with 6.4 seconds remaining. A three-point try by the 'Dogs fell short, giving FU the two-point victory. McPherson went 13-of-29 in the second 20 minutes including 5-of-15 from deep. Friends netted 10-of-23 with five from distance; they also made 11-of-18 free throws.
The Bulldogs ended the night making 25-of-61 field goals, 41%, and saw 8-of-28 threes go down; they went just 8-of-13 from the line. The team pulled in 33 rebounds with 11 coming off the offensive glass; they also netted 13 assists, 11 turnovers, and four steals. 22 of the team's points came in the paint and 16 were from bench players.
Darius Hill scored a team-high 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting with 3-of-5 free throws falling in; he had nine rebounds to lead the way. Grant scored on just 3-of-13 field goals but was 5-of-6 from the stripe for his 12 points; the senior also had a team-high five assists. Chris Crook scored his number, 11, for Mac as he dropped in 4-of-6 from the floor with three coming from deep. Henson was the final player to hit double figures as he added in 10 points.
Bulldogs in the Rankings: Darius Hill still is eighth in the D-II in total rebounds at 178; he is also 17th in boards per game at 8.9. TJ Grant sits 14th in total assists with 95.
The 'Dogs host Bethany College on January 24th as they start the second round of conference play; tipoff for JV is at 3:00 with varsity commencing at 7:00.
Scouting Saint Mary
The Spires have had an up and down season. They began the year with a loss but then went 6-1 before the KCAC season. The team went 3-1 prior to the break and then 2-1 against non-conference opponents during the holiday; it's worth noting that their head coach that began the year with the team left during the break. In 2015, USM is 2-2 in the league and head into Wednesday's outing coming off a big win over KCAC leading Bethany College 79-62.
Saint Mary started the game on a 10-1 run and held their advantage throughout the first half; the lead hit double-digits by the 12-minute mark. Bethany closed out the opening period on an 8-2 run to bring the halftime score to 40-35 in favor of the home team. USM connected on 16-of-40 shots from the floor while Bethany went 12-of-25.
The Spires quickly pushed their lead back into double figures at the start of the second period; Saint Mary stayed ahead by 10+ for the remainder of the contest and got up by 20 with a few minutes to play. USM put in an impressive 17-of-28 field goals but were just 1-of-5 from deep. BC had a tough time shooting and saw just 8-of-29 tries fall through; they were 9-of-14 from the stripe.
Saint Mary was led in scoring by Grant Greenberg who bucketed 27 on 11-of-20 field goals and 4-of-4 free throws; he also grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds. Jordan Thomas was next on the list with his 18 points; he scored on 5-of-17 from the floor and 5-of-9 from the stripe; he had nine rebounds and a team-high four assists. The final double figure scorer was Forrest Hicks who counted 6-of-7 field goals for his 12 points. Xavier Young added eight points and four assists to the team's cause.
For the year, USM is scoring 84.6 points a game; they have a positive scoring margin of 10.3. The team makes 46.5% from the floor and drop in 32.5 percent from distance; this season 70.2% of their free throws are dropping through. They tab 37.4 rebounds to go along with 16.1 assists, 14.2 turnovers, 8.2 steals, and 3.2 blocks.
Greenberg is scoring a team-high 29.1 points a game and has bucketed 552 on the year which is the highest in the NAIA D-II; the sophomore is making 87.2% of his free throws which is the 13th best in the country. Thomas has drained 62 three balls this season and averages 3.3 a night; he is seventh in the Nation in total threes made. Marcus Mondaine is grabbing a team-high 7.3 boards a night.
The Spires will hit the road for their next two contests as they travel to Bethel College and then Kansas Wesleyan University.
