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McPherson, Kan. – After a close win on Tuesday, the McPherson College women's basketball team will look to make it two-straight as they host NAIA D-I Southwestern Christian University on December 17th in the Sport Center; start time is slated for 5:30 p.m. (CT) The contest is "Cedars Night" so all residents of the Cedars in McPherson are admitted for FREE
Scouting McPherson
The Bulldogs are 4-10 this season and 3-5 in the KCAC. The team has just broken out of a five-game losing streak where at least three of the outings could have gone the other way. Mac took down nationally ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan in OT in their most recent contest.
Last Time Out – After a tight opening few minutes, OKWU jumped out in front and took an 18-13 lead into the second. Another low-scoring period put the halftime score at 31-27; the Bulldogs had a couple of mental errors in the final 10 seconds, leading to two buckets by Oklahoma Wesleyan. The third quarter was the highest scoring of the night and MC pulled their deficit to two points as they entered the fourth down 49-47. Defense was prevalent in the fourth period with just 22 points being scored. A late three-point bucket by Mac tied the game up with less than two minutes remaining. Both teams missed their chances in the final minute, leading to overtime. In OT the 'Dogs led for nearly the entire period. Another three pointer by MC with the game knotted up put them ahead 72-69 with just 26 seconds to go. A missed three-point field goal by OKWU and two made free throws by the Bulldogs ended the game at 74-69. McPherson made 25-of-69 from the floor with 5-of-19 threes; the team was 21-of-27 from the line. They had 51 rebounds along with 14 assists, 13 turnovers, 10 steals and four blocks.
Five McPherson players hit double figures in scoring. Ashton Bruner led the way with her 19 on 7-of-13 field goals and 5-of-8 free throws; she also had a team-high four assists and 10 rebounds for yet another double-double. Bailey Brown dropped in 15 points on 5-of-14 from the field with three from range; she made both free throw attempts and had eight rebounds as well. Georgia Smart dropped in 5-of-9 field goals and 4-of-5 foul shots for her 14 points; the forward also had six rebounds and a pair of steals. Kristina Battle had one of her better games this season with 12 points, five assists, and a steal in 32 minutes off the bench. Sunny Smart hit the 10 point mark on that big-time three-point bucket in the final minute of the game; the senior was 2-of-5 from deep and hit all four free throws for her total
Year at a Glance – The Bulldogs average 66.3 points a night on offense and allow 70.3 on defense. They make 38.9% from the floor with just 26.6% of their three-point tries falling in; they rank fourth in the KCAC in free throw percentage at 69.2. The team pulls in 41.4 rebounds a game and lead the league in rebounding margin at 5.2. They also record 19.5 turnovers, 11.4 assists, 8.4 steals, and 3.4 blocks a night.
Brown sits at 15.6ppg while shooting in a team-high 46.5% from the floor; she has bucketed 85-of-101 free throws and also averages 5.1 rebounds each time out. Bruner is second on the scoring chart at 12.8 points a night; she leads the way in field goals made, 59, and rebounding average at 9.0. G. Smart tallies 8.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest.
The 12 days of Christmas are next for the Lady 'Dogs as they aren't scheduled to play again until December 29th when they will participate in the La Quinta Inn Classic hosted by Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina, Kansas.
Scouting Southwestern Christian
SCU holds a 4-6 record and are 1-1 in the Sooner Athletic Conference. Common opponents are Oklahoma Wesleyan (L 102-73), Southwestern (L 69-63), Central Christian (W 78-60, W 77-53), Friends (W 61-60, L 66-61), and Haskell (L 79-57). The Eagles will head into Thursday's contest having lost their past two games, most recently a 79-57 outing with Haskell Indian Nations University.
Last Time Out – The Lady Eagles trailed most of the opening period and headed into the second down 14-12. Haskell jumped out and increased their advantage to double-digits but a run by SCU pulled the halftime score to 27-24 in favor of the Indians. HINU again had a strong start of the quarter and pushed the score margin to 10+; the foul-heavy period ended at 54-43, Haskell. Southwestern Christian never got within single figures in the final period and lost the 20-point contest. The Eagles went 19-of-66 for the game, 28.8%, with 7-of-28 three pointers; they connected on 12-of-19 free throws. The team grabbed 35 rebounds but allowed HINU to pull down 17 offensive boards. SCU also tallied 13 assists, 10 turnovers, and six steals.
Eliora Johnson scored a team-high 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting with 2-of-4 threes along with a pair of free throws; she also hauled in nine rebounds. Grace Hadley was a close second at 15 points on 5-of-15 field goals and 4-of-6 foul shots; she had seven rebounds. Taylor Estep tallied 10 points on 4-of-7 from the floor including 2-of-4 from deep. Kylee Severin scored seven points and had five assists and a pair of steals.
Year at a Glance – This season SCU scores 63 points a night while allowing 66.5 for a -3.5 scoring margin. The team nets 35.1% from the floor with just 24.8% of their three-point tries finding the bottom of the net; they bucket 70.1 percent from the charity stripe. The team grabs 39.3 rebounds but have a -1.7 rebounding margin. They also average 14.9 turnovers, 11.3 assists, and 7.9 steals a game.
Andi McGill is the leading scorer for the Eagles with her 13.7 average on 40% shooting; the sophomore did not play in the team's most recent contest. Johnson is second with a 12.7 average; she also tallies a team-high 10.2 rebounds which is 11th in the NAIA. Hadley is the final player to total 10+ with her 11.9ppg. Maranda Janz is very close to a double-digit average at 9.9 points a night; she tops the squad in three-point makes and attempts with 17 and 71, respectively.
Southwestern Christian has a short turnaround as they are scheduled to play Bethel College on Friday evening.
