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McPherson, Kan. – The MC men's basketball team is hoping that North Newton treats them a little better on Saturday than it did last weekend when the Bulldogs went 0-2 in a non-conference tournament. On the 21st, the 'Dogs will be taking on Bethel College in their second KCAC road game of the season; start time for JV is set for 3:00 p.m. (CT) with varsity getting underway at 7:00.
Scouting McPherson
The Bulldogs sit at 2-4 on the year and after winning their first two games of the season have dropped four-straight. The most recent defeat came at the hands of a hot-shooting Southwestern College team in the conference opener, 96-84.
Last Time Out – The Bulldogs had a perfectly fine first half on Thursday as they shot close to 40% from the field and connected on 11-of-14 from the charity stripe. Unfortunately, Southwestern shot the ball even better and took a 44-40 lead into the break. In the second half, Mac was never able to take the lead but saw multiple ties. There was a five-minute stretch in the final 10 minutes where SWC pulled away from the Bulldogs to claim the 96-84 win. McPherson shot 40.6% for the game, making 28-of-69 from the floor including 9-of-23 from deep; they hit 19-of-23 free throws. The 'Dogs tallied just 32 rebounds and had 12 turnovers, 10 steals, and five assists as well.
Leading the scoring for MC was Dee Roberts who bucketed 6-of-15 field goals with 4-of-6 threes and 2-of-2 free throws for 18 points; he also had five rebounds and a pair of steals. Having a breakout game was Chris Lowe. The freshman scored 17 points on 6-of-10 from the field and 4-of-6 from the line; he recorded three seals and a pair of assists as well. Also having his best game of the year was Ryan O'Hara who ended the night with 17 points; the junior went 6-of-12 from the floor including 2-of-3 from deep and 3-of-4 from the charity stripe. Chris Crook scored 14 for the Bulldogs on 3-of-9 field goals and a perfect 6-of-6 from the foul line.
Season at a Glance – This year McPherson is scoring 76.5 points a night while allowing 78.3, third best in the league. The team makes 40.6 percent from the floor and count 33.8 from behind the arc; the 'Dogs are converting on 72.7 percent of their free throws. Mac is ninth in the KCAC in rebounding at 35.8 a game and have a negative rebounding margin of 8.0. Thus far they average 13 turnovers, 10.5 assists, and 8.8 steals per game.
Roberts is the top scorer for McPherson through six games. The junior has yet to start a game but leads the team with his 15.3 points a night; he is making 44.6% from the field and has drained 14-of-34 threes on the year. Crook is next on the list at 13.3 ppg; he leads the 'Dogs in free throws going 21-of-25. Both Ryan O'Hara and Ramon Martinez average eight points a night while Reed Rowell sits at a 7.5 average; Rowell leads the team in rebounding with his 8.7 average.
Mac will hold their first KCAC home contest on Tuesday the 24th as Ottawa University comes to town for an 8:00 p.m. varsity contest with JV getting underway at 4:00.
Scouting Bethel
The Threshers are having a rough start to 2015. The team has lost all seven of their contests with five being by 10 points or less. In their first conference game of the year Bethel dropped a 98-81 matchup with the Eagles of Oklahoma Wesleyan.
Last Time Out – In their bout with the Eagles, Bethel had a solid opening half, making 45.5% from the field; they hit just 3-of-12 threes and 6-of-13 from the stripe. OKWU knocked down nine from deep and held a 43-39 halftime lead. In the second, BC trailed throughout and the Eagles coasted to the win. The Threshers ended the game with a 43.1 shooting percentage and following a 4-of-10 second half showing from deep, made 7-of-22 for the night. The team pulled in 42 rebounds with 12 offensive boards; they also tallied 22 turnovers, 12 assists, and 10 steals.
Rayjon Craig led the team in scoring with his 19 bench points; he was 7-of-10 from the floor with 3-of-4 threes and 2-of-3 foul shots falling through. The forward also had 10 rebounds in the loss with four coming off the offensive glass. Also contributing from the bench was Nate Fort; he scored 15 and had seven boards as well. Devin Goodwin shot a team-high 15 shots, making four which all came from range; he also converted on 6-of-7 free throws to add up to his 14 points. Chase Banister also hit double figures with his 5-of-10 night.
Season at a Glance – The Threshers are ranked 10th in the KCAC in scoring with their 71-point average while shooting in 40.7% from the field; the team nets 35.8 percent from deep and make just 59.1 percent of their free throws. Despite not connecting on many three-point baskets, Bethel still makes 8.4 a game, fourth best in the league. The team ranks in the top five in defensive field goal percentage and second in three-point defensive field goal percentage at 43.7% and 31.5%, respectively. BC averages 16.7 turnovers, 12.4 assists, and a conference-leading 10.3 steals a night.
The team's leading scorer on the year is Austin Mitchell who averages 13.2 points per game; the guard did not play in Bethel's most recent contest. Goodwin is a close second at 13.0 ppg and leads the team in field goals with 29; he only shoots in 29.3 percent from the field and 60 percent from the foul stripe. Jenson Kingsley averages 9.0 points each time out with 16-of-39 from behind the arc. Leading the Threshers in three-point buckets is Banister who has made 17-of-44; he totals 8.3 points a night.
Bethel will travel to Sterling College on November 21st for their next game.
