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McPherson, Kan. – With just four conference games left in the regular season, MC basketball will begin their final set of KCAC road games this Thursday, February 12 as they travel to Ottawa, Kansas where the Ottawa University Braves are waiting for the 8:00 p.m. (CT) tipoff.
Mac is currently 8-18 on the year and are 4-10 in the KCAC. They are in eighth place in the league, two games out of seventh and one ahead of ninth; the top eight teams make it into the conference postseason tournament at the end of February. McPherson will head into Thursday's contest on a two-game losing streak as they dropped games against KCAC leading Tabor College and KCAC No. 6 Sterling College this past week.
All statistics are from KCAC games only.
McPherson is scoring an average of 71.4 points a night which ranks eighth in the league; they are scoring on just 40.9% from the field and 32.5 percent from distance, fifth best in the KCAC. Defensively, the Bulldogs allow a second best 74.6 points per game but their opponents are shooting in a conference high 47.6 percent from the floor including 35.2 from behind the arc. The team is last in rebounding, 35.3 boards a game, and have a negative rebounding margin of 1.1. They are only turning the ball over 10.4 times per contest, a KCAC best, and have an assist/turnover ratio of 1.3 which is second highest in the league. The 'Dogs also tab 13.2 assists, 5.2 steals and 2.4 blocks a night
The team's leading scorer this season has been Darius Hill; the senior averages 18.2 points a night and has amassed 121 rebounds to top the squad. TJ Grant is second on the list with his 13.8ppg; he has made a team-high 53 free throws and dished out a whopping 72 assists. DeAndre Henson has bucketed a team leading 25 three balls which make up most of his 11.4 average. Chris Crook nets 9.5 points per game and has cashed in on 33.8% of his three balls, 23-of-68.
MC in the KCAC: Hill is sixth in the conference in scoring average at 18.2; he is third in field goal percentage at 53.6% and tops the KCAC in rebounds a game at 9.3. Hill has had 11 double-doubles this year, the most in the conference. TJ Grant is second in the league in free throw percentage, 86.9%, third in assists per game, 5.14, and first in assist/turnover ratio at 4.5.
The last regular season game away from home for the Bulldogs is on February 14th as they head to Winfield, Kansas to take on the Southwestern College Moundbuilders at 7:00 p.m.
Scouting Ottawa
The 13-10 Braves have gone 6-8 in the KCAC this season and sit seventh in the league. They have been inconsistent to say the least this year. The team holds wins over several of the top conference teams but losses against squads that are below them in the rankings. Most recently OU lost a tight 83-81 battle with RV University of Saint Mary.
Both teams posted above a 45% shooting percentage in the opening period and USM held a five-point advantage at the break. In the second, they battled back and forth again with the final tie coming with 1:26 showing on the clock. Saint Mary hit a pair of free throws in the closing minute that proved to be the difference. Ottawa closed out the night making 26-of-59 field goals with 7-of-16 coming from range; the team went 22-of-28 from the stripe. The Spires upped their shooting in the second and ended the game making 50.8% from the floor; they were 5-of-14 from deep and 14-of-19 from the foul line.
All statistics are from conference games only.
The Braves are scoring 79.7 points a game, fourth in the league, and shoot in 44.6% from the field, 38.1% from deep, and 70.1% from the line; their three-point percentage is second highest and the team nets 8.0 threes a night, topping the KCAC. Defensively, Ottawa is giving up a conference worst 81.3 points a game and allowing their opponents to shot in 45.2 from the floor and 36.7 from downtown, both second to the bottom of the league. The unit is grabbing a third best 38.6 boards a game to go along with their 14.4 steals, 5.5 steals, and 2.6 blocks.
Marshon Norfleet is scoring 19.5 points a game with his total coming from all over the court; he has made a team-high 83 field goals and 73 free throws and ranks second in threes with 34-of-84 falling. Adam Hasty is second on the list with his 16.7 average; he has dropped in a team-high 48 three balls and also tops the team in assists with 59. The final double figure scorer is Preston Oaks who nets 12.6; he is grabbing 5.6 boards a night. Both Colin Nichols and Alex Lundry average close to 9.0 a contest; Lundry leads the team in rebounds with his 86 total.
OU in the KCAC: Norfleet ranks fourth in scoring average and total points, 273. Hasty is shooting in 41.7% from deep, third highest in the league, and tops the KCAC in threes made per game at 3.4; he is fourth in steals per game at 1.64. Lundry is second in blocks per night at 1.58.
Ottawa will take on Bethel College on February 14th in North Newton.
