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McPherson, Kan. – On December 10th, the McPherson College men's basketball team will make the short drive up old highway 81 to Lindsborg, Kansas where they will battle with the Swedes of Bethany College. The JV tipoff is set for 4:00 p.m. (CT) with the varsity commencing at 8:00.
Scouting McPherson
The Bulldogs are just 3-9 on the year and 1-4 in the KCAC. They've lost a handful of tight matchups as the team is still trying to find their rhythm. The most recent outing for MC came this past Saturday against Friends University.
Last Time Out – After trailing 32-28 at the break, the 'Dogs pushed forward in the opening minutes of the second half and tied things up. However, Friends had a run midway through the period which put them in front for good. Against the Falcons, McPherson struggled from behind the three-point line, 5-of-22, which hampered their chances; they made 17-of-33 from inside the arc and also connected on 17-of-22 free throws.
Chris Crook led all scoring with his 17 points on 5-of-10 field goals and 5-of-6 free throws; he grabbed five rebounds as well. Ramon Martinez scored 14, making 5-of-7 from the floor and 4-of-6 from the line; the sophomore pulled in six defensive boards. Dee Roberts was the final Bulldog to make it into double figures as he had 12 points on 5-of-19 shooting with just 1-of-10 three-point buckets. Kyle Lakin led the team in assists with four, three of which came in the game's opening minutes.
Year at a Glance – This season the Bulldogs are averaging 73.7 points each time out while making a conference ninth-best 39.7% from the floor; they are last in the KCAC in three-point percentage at 29.4%. However, their free throw percentage of 74.7 is atop the conference. The team's defense has been solid all year as they rank third in the league in scoring defense at 78.6 ppg. The 'Dogs are pulling in 38.7 rebounds a game but are at the bottom of the KCAC in rebounding margin at -7.4. They also average 12.7 turnovers, 11.2 assists, and 6.5 steals per contest.
Crook is the team's leading scorer this season at 15.4 points per game; he's made a team-high 48 free throws and is ranked 16th in the NAIA D-II in free throw percentage at 87.3%. Roberts is a very close second with his 15.3 average; he has made a team leading 70 field goals with 24 coming from range. Martinez is inching towards that double-digit scoring average at 9.8ppg; he makes a team-high 48.4% from the floor and also pulls in 5.8 rebounds a night. Ryan O'Hara is picking up his scoring as of late as he now tallies 8.2 points each time out; he leads the team in steals and blocks with 11 and 8, respectively.
Rivalry week continues for McPherson on Thursday as they travel to Hillsboro, Kansas to take on Tabor College; JV is at 3:00 p.m. with varsity getting underway at 7:00
Scouting Bethany
The Swedes, who were preseason ranked in the top third of the league, have not had the season they were hoping for. The team is 3-7 overall and 0-4 against KCAC opponents; they have lost to Kansas Wesleyan, Friends, Tabor, and most recently Oklahoma Wesleyan. Each of their conference losses have been by less than 10 points, making for some painful defeats.
Last Time Out – After leading early, Bethany went through a shooting slump which allowed the Eagles to climb back in, tie things up, and eventually take the lead which they carried into halftime, 48-38; seven three-point buckets by OKWU helped give them the edge on the Swedes. In the second, Oklahoma Wesleyan led by double-digits for all but the final four minutes as BC tried to make a game of it late; an 8-0 run by Bethany pulled the game to 89-86 with 1:30 to play. In the end, the home team Eagles held on for the 96-89 win.
Bethany was led in scoring by Jonathan Gidson who came off the bench for the first time all season; he went 7-of-16 from the floor with a pair of threes and 4-of-6 free throws for 20 points. Gary Jones also threw in 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting with 6-of-8 foul shots making it through; he led the way in rebounds with seven. Larry McLin netted 18 for BC, making seven field goals and a pair of free throws. Dalantae Kelly also hit double figures scoring with his 4-of-10 field goals and 1-of-2 foul shots for 11 points; he had seven boards with five offensive rebounds.
Year at a Glance – This season Bethany is averaging a KCAC third-best 87.1 points while making 43.2% from the floor; they aren't doing much from deep as they rank 10th in makes at 6.1 and are ninth in the league in three-point percentage at 30.8%. The defense for the Swedes leaves something to be desired as they allow 92.7ppg and have a negative scouring margin of 5.6. The team pulls in a conference third highest 41.2 rebounds a game as well as 18.4 turnovers, 13.0 assists, 7.0 steals, and 2.1 blocks.
Gidson has scored 228 points thus far, averaging 22.8 a night; he has made a team-high 65 field goals and an eye-popping 86 free throws. The senior also averages 6.9 rebounds and tops the Swedes in steals with 12 on the year. Jones is second on the scoring list at 17.3 points each time out; he has pulled down a team-high 7.3 rebounds a game. McLin is the third and final player to make it over 10 points on a consistent basis with his 13.6 average; he leads the team in three-point buckets with 20. Last year's leading scorer, Cody Harris, has only played in four games this season due to injury but is probable for Thursday's contest.
Bethany will host Sterling College on December 12th for their next game.
