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McPherson, Kan. – Hoping to get back on the winning track, the MC men's basketball team will host Friends University on Saturday for a 7:00 p.m. (CT) tipoff; JV is scheduled to start at 3:00. Saturday's game is McPherson's Ugly Sweater game, so if you have one, wear it!
Scouting McPherson
Mac sits at 3-8 on the year and are 1-3 in the conference. The team is currently in a four-game skid with a pair of three-point losses as their most recent defeats; in both cases the Bulldogs held leads in the final minutes but were not able to hang on.
Last Time Out – Against Kansas Wesleyan this past Thursday, both teams had a rough time shooting in the opening half as the score sat at 28-24 in favor of the Coyotes at the break. In the second, the field goal percentage improved and, after a back-and-forth first 10 minutes, the 'Dogs took control and led by as many as 11 with just a few minutes remaining. KWU hit a couple of big shots down the stretch to take the momentum and eventually the lead with less than two minutes to play. A few missed shots by Mac and made ones by the Coyotes gave Kansas Wesleyan the game 67-64.
The Bulldogs shot in 36.9% in the game with just 4-of-24 three-point buckets; they hit 12-of-18 free throws. The team pulled in 39 rebounds and also had 11 turnovers, eight assists, five steals, and five blocks.
The 'Dogs had a couple 20-point scorers in Dee Roberts, 26, and Chris Crook, 22. Roberts made 11-of-26 from the floor with 1-of-10 three-point buckets; he was 3-of-4 from the foul line and also grabbed three rebounds. Crook netted 7-of-17 field goals including 3-of-9 from distance while making 5-of-6 from the stripe; the junior pulled down five boards. Ramon Martinez was the next on the scoring list with his six points on 3-of-8 field goals
Year at a Glance – McPherson ranks ninth in the league in scoring offense at 74.4 but is third in scoring defense at 78.5; their -4.1 scoring margin is sixth in the KCAC. The 'Dogs hit just 39.7% from the field with a conference-worst 30% from behind the arc; their 74.4 free throw percentage is second in the KCAC. The team pulls down 39.3 rebounds each time out but have a negative rebounding margin of 7.2. They also tally 12.9 turnovers, 11.1 assists, 6.5 steals, and 2.0 blocks each time out.
Leading MC in scoring this season is junior transfer Roberts who averages 15.5 points per game; he is making 40.6% from the field and has drained a team-high 23 three-point tries. Crook is a close second at 15.3 and has also bucketed 23 from behind the arc; the junior is ranked nationally in free throw percentage at 87.8%. Martinez is inching closer to a 10-point average at 9.5 points a contest; he makes 46.6% from the floor while pulling down 5.8 boards a night.
It's to the road for the Bulldogs next week as they travel to Bethany College on Thursday and then Tabor College on Saturday.
Scouting Friends
After going oh-fer in their non-conference schedule, Friends has won two of their past three with victories over Bethany College and most recently Oklahoma Wesleyan; the team's lone KCAC loss came against Tabor College.
Last Time Out – In their latest outing, Friends held the lead for the entire first half but not by much as Oklahoma Wesleyan kept within a couple buckets for the majority of the period. At the break, the Falcons led 38-34. In the second, FU jumped ahead by double figures and stayed just out of reach, using their zone defense to force the Eagles to shoot from the perimeter. After the 40-minute contest, the Falcons took the game 76-64. Friends hit on 45.6% from the field, 26-of-57, with 9-of-26 three-point shots falling; the team made 15-of-19 from the charity stripe.
Toby Baxter had a monster game for the Falcons with his 9-of-12 shooting from the floor and a perfect 10-of-10 showing from the line for 30 points; he also grabbed six rebounds. Kaleb Ratliff played well on the inside for Friends as he totaled 11 points and an impressive six blocked shots. Both Chris Singhateh and Myron Varmall scored eight points for the Falcons; each player hit two three pointers and one two-point bucket.
Year at a Glance – Much like McPherson, Friends is using their defense to help them win games. FU is 10th in the conference in scoring at 71.4 points a night but are second in the KCAC in defense, allowing 78.4 each time out. They make 43.3% from the floor with 33.5% from deep; the team nets 71.1 percent from the foul line. The Falcons are dead last in the league in rebounding average at 33.8; their rebounding margin of -6.6 is 10th. Friends tallies 16.9 turnovers, 11.9 assists, 7.6 steals, and a conference-high 3.75 blocks.
Baxter is the only consistent double-digit scorer for the Falcons with his 19.3 average; he has made 48-of-94 field goals including 10-of-27 from range. The junior is also first in free throw makes at 48-of-59 and pulls in 5.4 rebounds a game. Johnson and Kaleb Ratliff are both averaging in the nine-point range; Johnson has hit a team leading 17 three-point baskets while Ratliff leads the team in blocks with 22, which is third in the NAIA.
Friends will host Sterling College for their next contest on December 10th.
