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McPherson, Kan. – On Saturday, December 5, McPherson College will host Friends University for their fifth KCAC contest of the season. JV is set to play at 1:00 p.m. (CT) with varsity tipping off at 5:00. Saturday's game is McPherson's Ugly Sweater game, so if you have one, wear it!
Scouting McPherson
The Lady Bulldogs are 3-7 on the year and 2-2 in the KCAC. The team won their first two conference games but then lost the next two to Ottawa University and most recently an 89-71 contest to Kansas Wesleyan University.
Last Time Out – McPherson played the Coyotes on the wrong night. KWU hit nearly 60% for the game and drained 17 three-point shots including 12-of-20 in the opening half. After leading 51-22 at the break, Kansas Wesleyan went on to take the game 89-71. The Bulldogs shot the ball just fine with 51.1% of their tries making it through the basket but the team went a poor 2-of-8 from deep; MC, uncharacteristically, did not take advantage of their foul shots, making 21-of-33.
Bailey Brown tallied a team-high 19 points, making 5-of-10 field goals and 9-of-13 free throws. Ashton Bruner scored 16 points on 7-of-13 from the floor and 2-of-4 from the stripe; she also had four rebounds. Georgia Smart made it into double figures with her 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting along with 3-of-6 free throws; the forward led the team in rebounds with seven.
Year at a Glance – Mac is scoring 67.1 points a game while allowing 69.2 for a KCAC sixth-best -2.1 scoring margin. The team hits 40.2 percent from the floor with 27.8% of their three-point tries finding the bottom of the net. The Bulldogs average nearly 40 rebounds a night and hold a positive rebounding margin of 4.5. They tally 19.4 turnovers, 12.2 assists, 9.4 steals, and 3.7 blocks each time out.
Brown is averaging 15.4 points a game while making 48.3% from the floor; she has connected on 10-of-25 three pointers and also averages 4.8 rebounds a game. Bruner recently pushed over the 10-point hump and nets 10.3 per contest; she leads the team in rebounds with 70 total. Smart has upped her scoring over the past few games and now averages 8.1 a night.
McPherson has a pair of road games next week starting with a trip up old Highway 81 to Lindsborg for a matchup with the Bethany College Lady Swedes; the JV game is scheduled for a 2:00 p.m. start with varsity at 6:00.
Scouting Friends
The Falcons are 6-5 on the year and 2-1 in the conference with wins over Bethany and Oklahoma Wesleyan and their lone loss to Tabor College. The team recently took advantage of some poor shooting by OKWU as they won 85-54.
Last Time Out – It was a very, very low-scoring first quarter between Friends and the Eagles as they combined for 15 total points on 7-of-35 shooting; FU led 9-6. The Falcons pulled away in the second as OKWU struggled from the field; the halftime score sat at 31-18. In the second half, both teams improved their shooting and Friends held a 20-point advantage heading into the fourth. The Falcons continued to roll in the final quarter, winning the period 30-19 and the game 85-54.
FU made 44.8% of their field goals for the game, 30-of-67, with 6-of-23 three-point buckets; just 19-of-30 free throws went through for the Friends. The team grabbed 54 rebounds and had 17 assists, 13 turnovers, and 11 steals.
Shann Sellers tallied a team-high 19 points on 8-of-14 field goals and 3-of-9 free throws; she also led the way in rebounds with 12. Asia Booker and Ayanna Holtz each entered the game from the bench and combined for 21 points; Holts scored her 10 on 4-of-5 from the floor with both of her three-point tries falling. Lexi Evans also scored 10 points, hitting 2-of-5 field goals and 5-of-7 foul shots. In a limited role due to the game's score margin, senior Kayla Justice totaled nine points and seven rebounds; the guard made 3-of-5 field goals with two free throws.
Year at a Glance – On the year, Friends is scoring 69.2 points a night and hold a KCAC second-best 5.5 scoring margin. The team makes just 37.6% from the field with 31.8% going through from behind the arc; the Falcons make a conference second-worst 57.3% from the foul line. They pull in 39.2 rebounds each time out to go along with 14.4 turnovers, 11.6 assists, a league-leading 11.5 steals, and 1.8 blocks; their 0.81 assist-turnover ratio is second in the KCAC.
Sellers is scoring a team leading 15.7 points every time she hits the floor; she has netted a team-high 60 field goals and 37 free throws while gobbling up 9.4 rebounds a night. Justice is the only other double-digit scorer with her 11.8 average; she has made a Falcon-best 27 three pointers, making 38.6% from behind the arc. Three others sit in the seven-point range.
Friends has a set of home games next week as they bring in Sterling College on December 10th and University of Saint Mary on the 12th.
