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McPherson, Kan. – On Thursday, February 5, the McPherson College men's basketball team will attempt to take down KCAC No. 1 Tabor College at 8:00 p.m. (CT) in Hillsboro, Kansas; the junior varsity contest will begin at 4:00.
The Bulldogs have won two in a row with their most recent triumph coming on the road against Kansas Wesleyan University this past Saturday. MC took the early lead and stayed out in front for most of the first 20 minutes but they never were able to push their lead past a handful. KWU put together a quick run to end the half and went into the locker room up 31-27. The 'Dogs scored on 10-of-27 field goals including a trio from distance while KWU put in 12-of-26 from the floor including three from behind the arc; both teams made four free throws.
Kansas Wesleyan kept their slim lead in the early goings of the second period. For the middle section of the half it was a back-and-forth battle with numerous ties and lead changes; both teams took their turn putting together runs but the other always countered. In the end, the Bulldogs had a couple more buckets in them as they took the game 65-61. McPherson shot in 12-of-29 from the floor with another three from range; they went 11-of-19 from the stripe but fortunately made enough late in the game to hold off KWU. The Coyotes saw 8-of-23 field goals go through with six of those coming from deep; they converted just 8-of-15 foul shots.
The 'Dogs ended the game with a 39.3 shooting percentage, 22-of-56; they went 6-of-22 from deep and 15-of-23 from the charity stripe. The team recorded 34 rebounds with eight offensive boards. They also tabbed nine assists, seven turnovers, three steals, and a pair of blocks. Mac scored 24 points in the paint and 17 came off of KWU turnovers.
TJ Grant led all scoring with his 23 points; he was 6-of-12 from the field and a solid 8-of-9 from the foul line. Next was fellow senior Darius Hill; the forward scored 18 on 7-of-13 field goals as well as 4-of-6 free throws while grabbing a team-high 11 rebounds. DeAndre Henson scored eight for Mac and also pulled in six boards.
Bulldogs in the NAIA D-II Rankings: TJ Grant is currently ninth in assist/turnover ratio at 3.3 and sits 17th in total assists with 113 on the year. Hill ranks 12th in total rebounds, 208, and 15th in both rebounds per game, 9.04, and offensive boards a night, 3.26.
Statistics are from KCAC games only.
Following back-to-back 61-point defensive efforts, the 'Dogs are third in the league in scoring defense at 75.1; they are still last in defensive field goal percentage at 47.1%. The team sits second in both turnover margin and assist/turnover ratio at 2.2 and 1.3, respectively. Darius Hill is fifth in points per game at 19.3 and ranks first in field goals percentage at 57.6%; the senior forward is second in rebounding average at 9.1 per game and has amassed a KCAC-high 10 double-doubles this year. TJ Grant is second in free throw percentage, 87.3, third in assists per game, 4.75, and leads all guards in assist/turnover ratio at 3.80.
Mac will take on Sterling College this weekend, February 7th, at 7:00 p.m. with the junior varsity squad commencing at 3:00. It is "Think Pink Night" in the Sport Center so be sure to wear your pink! More details will be posted shortly.
Scouting Tabor
The 12-11 Bluejays are currently tied atop the KCAC with a 9-3 record; they were the preseason favorite to win the league. TC owns wins over the other two first-place teams but have losses to Southwestern, Sterling, and most recently, the University of Saint Mary which came this past weekend.
After trading the lead for the first 10 minutes, Tabor jumped up double-digits with seven minutes remaining in the opening half; the Bluejays went into the guest locker room ahead 40-35. TC dropped in 17-of-36 from the floor including an impressive 6-of-14 from behind the arc. The Spires made 15-of-34 field goals but connected on just 2-of-14 three balls.
Tabor maintained a small lead for the first several minutes of the second period but by the midway point of the half, the teams were trading the lead. Saint Mary jumped out to a double-digit lead on the heels of a 13-2 run; their advantage peaked at 15 by the five-minute mark. TC put together a mini-run of their own and pulled within four with less than a minute remaining. The Spires made five of their final six free throws to hold on and win 95-90. The Bluejays knocked in 17-of-28 field goals, 60.7%, but saw just 2-of-8 threes fall in; they were 14-of-15 from the foul line. For as good as Tabor shot, USM performed better as 18-of-28 of their tries fell in, 64.3%; they went 5-of-10 from deep and 19-of-23 from the charity stripe.
The 'Jays ended the game making 34-of-64 from the floor and saw 8-of-22 threes go in; they went 14-of-15 from the line. The team grabbed 36 rebounds with 11 coming off the offensive glass. They also had 16 assists, 15 turnovers, two steals, and a block.
Lance Carter entered the game from the bench to score a team-high 22 points; he was 8-of-12 from the field and 6-of-6 from the line; he also grabbed a team leading seven rebounds. Malik Brooks bucketed 18 points on 5-of-12 shooting with 5-of-6 free throws. John Jedneak added 17 points to the cause on 7-of-13 field goals and 2-of-2 foul shots. JT Nemit also hit the double figures in scoring with his 11 points; he was 3-of-4 from deep and 1-of-2 from two-point land.
All statistics are from KCAC games only.
TC is currently second in scoring with their 82.6 average; they sit third in scoring margin at 6.3. The team knocks down a KCAC-high 48.3% from the floor and they see 35.9% of their threes fall, third highest in the league; the team struggles from the stripe as just 65.3% of their free throws make their way in, ninth in the conference. The Bluejays are second in the KCAC in three-point field goals made a game at 7.7. They are pulling down 37.2 rebounds a night to go along with their 14.4 turnovers, 13.8 assists, 6.0 steals, and a league-low 1.6 blocks.
Five Tabor players average double-digits scoring through their 12 KCAC contests. Andrew Thomas, who didn't play in the team's loss at Saint Mary due to a leg injury, leads the team in scoring with his 15.4ppg; he also tabs a team-high 8.5 boards a night. Carter, who has only played in five games this year, is netting 14.0 per game; he also grabs 7.2 rebounds each time out. Brooks is next on the list with his 13.0 average; he has made a team-high 35 threes while starting all 12 KCAC games. Dewayne Biggs is putting in 11.5 every time he hits the court and has amassed a team leading 47 assists. Jedneak is the final Bluejay to make it over the 10-point hump consistently with his 10.8 average.
Tabor is set to host Bethel College on February 7th for their next game.
