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McPherson, Kan. – The first time through the KCAC didn't go as planned for Bulldog basketball and the team will look to improve their record against the conference starting this weekend as they host Bethany College on January 24th; JV is set to begin at 3:00 p.m. (CT) with varsity starting at 7:00.
Mac heads into the contest coming off another tough loss. The team faced the University of Saint Mary this past Wednesday and dropped a close contest with the Spires, 73-64. The first 20 minutes went back and forth throughout with neither team getting a strong foothold. At the break, USM led 30-27 after scoring eight of the final 11 points. The 'Dogs went 11-of-30 in the first half but were just 1-of-10 from deep. USM made one more field goal than McPherson while attempting the same amount of shots; they were 3-of-13 from deep and 3-of-3 from the stripe.
In the second, the Spires were ahead most of the way but the score margin stayed close throughout. Saint Mary jumped up by 14 with less than five to play and held off a late charge from Mac to claim the nine-point win. The Bulldogs hit 9-of-26 from the floor with two of those coming from range; they converted on 17-of-21 from the foul line. USM went 15-of-26 including 3-of-7 from behind the arc; they made 10-of-14 free throws.
McPherson ended the night making 20-of-56 from the floor but went just 3-of-17 from range; they converted on 21-of-29 free throws. The team pulled down 30 rebounds to go along with seven turnovers, six blocks, five assists, and three steals. 28 of Mac's total came in the paint and 14 were scored by bench players.
Chris Crook led the team in scoring with his 14 points; he made 5-of-14 field goals and both of his foul shots. TJ Grant connected on 7-of-8 free throws and 3-of-13 from the floor for his 13 points; he grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Latron Jolly added nine points and was followed by DeAndre Henson and Louis Parker III who each scored eight.
Ranked Bulldogs: Darius Hill is 13th in the NAIA D-II in total rebounds with 178 and sits 18th in boards a game at 8.9; he is 19th in offensive rebounds per game at 3.15. TJ Grant ranks 19th in assist/turnover ratio at 2.939; he is 20th in total assists with 97.
Bulldogs against the KCAC – Statistics are from league games only: The 'Dogs sit third in the conference in free throw percentage at 69.8. The team ranks first in turnover margin at 2.6; they are also second in assist/turnover ratio at 1.2. Hill is sixth in the KCAC in scoring with his 18.0 ppg; he sits second in field goal percentage at 53.7%. Hill has grabbed 8.75 rebounds a game which is good enough for second highest; he is first in offensive rebounds a night at 3.25. Hill is tied for second in double-doubles on the year with eight, one behind first place. Grant's 87.2 free throw percentage is second-best in the league; he is third in total assists with 41.
Mac's next competition is against Bethel College; the Wednesday contest is slated for an 8:00 p.m. start on January 28th; JV will begin at 4:00.
Scouting Bethany
The Swedes are currently 14-6 overall and 6-3 in the conference; they are tied for second in the KCAC standings. The team's three league losses have come against Tabor College, the University of Saint Mary, and McPherson College in the first game of the KCAC season. Most recently, the team took down Sterling College 75-62 at home.
It was a tight battle from the get-go as the two teams traded buckets. Sterling outscored Bethany for the final couple minutes and took a 31-27 lead into the break. BC scored on just 11-of-38 from the floor and were a mere 2-of-13 from behind the three-point range. Sterling counted 12-of-55 field goals with four coming from deep; they went 5-of-5 from the foul line.
The Warriors held their slim lead for the first seven minutes of the second half but a 12-1 run by BC put the Swedes ahead five by the midway mark. For the next several minutes it was Bethany that held the small advantage; a mini-run pushed the lead to 13 with less than five to play. The teams traded points down the stretch and BC held on for the 75-62 victory. The Swedes made a much improved 46.9% from the field, 15-of-32, and went 6-of-14 from downtown; they converted on 12-of-14 free throws. Sterling had shooting issues in the second as just 10-of-34 field goals fell; they were a poor 3-of-16 from distance.
For the game, Bethany made 26-of-70 with 8-of-27 threes going down; they were 15-of-20 from the stripe. 41 rebounds were grabbed by the Swedes with 15 coming off the offensive glass. They also netted 19 assists, 12 steals, 10 turnovers, and one block.
Jonathan Gidson entered the game from the bench to score a game-high 22 points on 9-of-21 shooting with 3-of-3 free throws dropping. Larry McLin added 16 points on 5-of-13 field goals and 3-of-4 foul shots; he also pulled down 11 rebounds. Third on the list was Cody Harris who scored 15 on 6-of-11 with his lone free throw dropping. Nathan Coleman pulled in 13 rebounds and also had six steals and five assists. Devin Smith led the team in assists with seven.
All statistics are for KCAC games only.
This season Bethany is scoring a KCAC leading 86.1 points a night but give up a conference worst 82.8. They are making 44.8 percent from the floor and a league-leading 39.9 from deep; the team leads the conference in threes made a game with 8.1. They haul in 40.2 rebounds a night to go along with 17.6 assists, 15.7 turnovers, 8.4 steals, and 2.9 blocks.
Gary Jones, who hasn't played since December but is on schedule to play on Saturday, leads the Swedes in scoring with an 18.5 average; he also has pulled in 21 rebounds through the four KCAC games he's played. Gidson is second on the team at 18.1 points per game; he has made a team-high 44 free throws and also tops BC in rebounding average at 7.0. Harris is the top three-point shooter with his 28 makes from deep which put him second in the league; he nets 17.6 a night. McLin plays in over 35 minutes each time out and averages 15.1 points.
Ottawa University will be the next opponents for BC.
