Game Notes
Live Video
Live Stats
Live Audio - KWU Radio
McPherson, Kan. – The McPherson College men's basketball team needs to get on a hot streak as they have some ground to cover as they attempt to move up the ranks in the KCAC. After a much needed win on Wednesday, the 'Dogs will go for back-to-back wins on Saturday as they travel to Salina, Kansas to face Kansas Wesleyan University at 7:00 p.m. (CT); the JV squads will battle it out at 3:00.
In the victory over Bethel this past Wednesday, McPherson started tough and stayed tough. They went up double figures a short while into the opening period and maintained a 10+ lead through the break where they led 38-24. The 'Dogs went 16-of-40 in the first 20 minutes with 4-of-9 three balls falling. BC scored on just seven field goals with zero coming from behind the arc. McPherson's Darius Hill put up 18 points on 9-of-13 shooting in the first 20 minutes.
The second half was all MC. The Threshers tried to inch closer but were rejected by Mac each time. The 'Dogs led by 10+ from the midway point on and cruised to the 80-61 triumph. McPherson cashed in on 16-of-32 field goals with 4-of-11 going in from range; they were 6-of-9 from the foul line. Bethel made 13-of-29 from the floor but again missed all their three-point tries; they did connect on 11-of-12 from the charity stripe.
For the game, McPherson connected on 32-of-72 from the floor, 44.4%; they saw 8-of-20 three balls and 8-of-13 free throws make their way in. An eye-popping 50 rebounds were tallied by the 'Dogs with 16 coming off the offensive glass. An equally impressive 21 assists were recorded by Mac; they also had just eight turnovers, four assists, and a pair of blocks. The team scored 50 points in the paint, 19 of the total were second chance buckets, and the reserves scored 23 for the Bulldogs.
Hill ended the night scoring 30 points on 14-of-20 field goals and 2-of-6 foul shots; he grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds and also had a pair of assists. TJ Grant scored 16 on 5-of-11 shooting with four coming from beyond the arc; he was 2-of-2 from the stripe and also logged a career-high eight assists. Louis Parker III recorded his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Kyle Lakin had a perfect day as he dropped 3-of-3 threes and 2-of-2 free throws for his 11 points; the junior had four assists and three rebounds for the 'Dogs.
MC in the Nation: Following his eight assist, zero turnover game, TJ Grant is 11th in the NAIA D-II in assist/turnover ratio at 3.235; he is 16th in total assists with 110. Darius Hill is 11th in total rebounds with 197 and 15th in rebounds per game at 8.95.
All statistics are for KCAC games only.
Bulldogs in the KCAC: Despite being 10th in defensive field goal percentage, 47.6%, the team is fifth in scoring defense at 76.4 and fourth in defensive three-point percentage at 33.5 percent. The team sits second in both turnover margin, 1.7, and assist/turnover ratio, 1.3. Darius Hill is fifth in scoring with his 19.4 average; he is first in field goal percentage at 58% and second in rebounds per game at 8.9. TJ Grant is second in free throw percentage at 87%, third in assists with 54, and leads all KCAC guards in assist/turnover ratio at 3.6.
The 'Dogs travel to Hillsboro, Kansas to battle the KCAC leading Tabor College Bluejays on February 5th for their next contest.
Scouting Kansas Wesleyan
The Coyotes sit at 4-18 on the season with just a 2-9 KCAC record. They are in the middle of a four-game losing streak and have only won one game in 2015. Their most recent loss came at the hands of the University of Saint Mary 82-74.
The first half of the opening period went back-and-forth for the Spires and Coyotes with multiple ties and lead changes. KWU finally got a little bit of a lead just over the 10-minute mark and pushed ahead by double figures for the final five; they led 32-20 at the break. Kansas Wesleyan hit on 14-of-37 field goals with just 2-of-10 threes making their way through. USM had a rough time shooting as they posted a 26.7 field goal percentage, 8-of-30; they went 3-of-15 from deep and 1-of-3 from the stripe.
After pushing their lead to 15 just a few minutes into the second, KWU fell victim to a shooting slump which allowed the Spires to climb back in. An 18-3 run by Saint Mary tied things up with 12:30 showing on the clock. The game went back to a back-and-forth contest for the next several minutes. The Spires put together another run to get their lead to double-digits; USM took the game 74-82. KWU scored on a solid 14-of-29 from the floor with 5-of-14 three balls dropping; they went 9-of-13 from the stripe. Saint Mary doubled their shooting percentage as 18-of-32 field goals fell including 7-of-13 from distance; they were 19-of-25 from the foul line.
The Coyotes ended the game making 28-of-66 from the floor with 7-of-27 threes finding their way through the hoop; they were 11-of-17 from the free throw stripe. The team pulled down 38 rebounds with 14 coming off the offensive glass. They also tabbed 11 turnovers, 11 assists, nine steals and one block. 40 of the team's total points came in the paint and 34 were scored by reserves.
Michael Johnson made 4-of-10 field goals and 5-of-7 free throws for his team-high 14 points. Keion Criswell added 13 from the bench on 3-of-6 threes and 2-of-3 twos. Jacob Lunz recorded a team-high seven rebounds to go along with his 12 points. Dominique Johnson put 4-of-11 field goals and 1-of-2 free throws through for his 10.
Statistics are from KCAC games only.
KWU sits at the bottom of the KCAC in scoring offense at 66.1 and has the worst scoring margin at -12.1; they also are shooting a league-low field goal percentage at 37%. The team allows a 40.4 defensive field goal percentage which is second best in the conference. They are rebounding 38.1 balls a night to go along with their 16.9 turnovers, 10.2 assists, 7.5 steals, and KCAC-high 4.1 blocks.
Lunz is scoring 12.4 points a night to lead the Coyotes; he has made a team-high 56 free throws through their 11 KCAC games and also tops KWU in rebounding with his 7.4 average. M. Johnson is a very close second in scoring with his 12.3 ppg; he has cashed in on a team-high 44 field goals. D. Johnson is nearing the double-digit scoring average as he nets 9.3 a game; he is the team's leading assist and steal man with 27 and 20, respectively.
Kansas Wesleyan will face Bethel College on February 5th for their next contest.
