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McPherson, Kan. – On February 7th, McPherson College men's basketball will host Sterling College for Think Pink Night. Start time for varsity is 7:00 p.m. (CT) with JV commencing at 3:00.
After winning a pair of games, the Bulldogs were not able to make it a streak this past Thursday when they tried to knock off top seeded Tabor College; they will head into Saturday's contest following a 67-56 defeat. The Bulldogs currently rest at 8-17 this season and are 4-9 in the KCAC; they hold the eighth seed with five games to go in the 2014-15 regular season. Of the games left, three are against the top half of the conference while the other two are versus No. 6 and No. 7.
All statistics are from KCAC games only.
Leading the scoring for Mac is Darius Hill as he nets 18.6 each time out; he also leads the way in rebounds with his 9.1 average. TJ Grant has amassed 60 assists through the conference season and also leads the team from the stripe where he has made 49-of-57; the senior averages 13.5 points a contest. DeAndre Henson is also scoring in the double figures on a consistent basis, 11.9; he has made a team-high 25 three balls. Chris Crook is inching towards the 10-point average as he tallies 9.0 a game; along with Grant, he is second on the team in three balls made with 21.
The Bulldogs are scoring 71.9 a night and give up a conference second-best 74.5ppg; the team sits 10th in defensive field goal percentage at 47.3 percent. MC is scoring on 41.3% of their field goals with 33.3 percent dropping from deep; they make 69.2% from the foul line. McPherson is only pulling down 35.4 rebounds per game to go along with their 12.8 assists, 10.5 turnovers, 5.5 steals and 2.3 blocks. The squad is third in the league in assist/turnover ratio at 1.2; their turnover margin sits at 1.9.
MC in the KCAC: Darius Hill is fifth in the KCAC is points per game and is third in field goal percentage at 54.8%; he is also second in rebounds a night and has tallied a league-high 10 double-doubles. TJ Grant sits second in free throw percentage at 86%, is third in assists per game at 4.62, and tops all conference guards in assist/turnover ratio at 4.0.
The 'Dogs will hit the road for both contests next week. Ottawa University will be the first stop for Mac as they compete on February 12th at 8:00 p.m.
Scouting Sterling
The Warriors are 11-13 this season and have posted a 6-7 record in the conference. The team is coming off a pair of monster wins against two of the top KCAC teams. SC took down Friends University 75-70 last weekend and then the University of Saint Mary 79-77 this past Thursday; both games were played at home where the team is undefeated in league play.
Sterling used some very accurate shooting to push them past the nationally ranked Spires; the Warriors posted a 54.5 field goal percentage despite hitting on just 5-of-19 three balls. Another key for SC was holding the KCAC's leading scorer Grant Greenberg to just 20 points; the sophomore standout is averaging close to 30 per game.
All statistics are from conference games only.
The Warriors rank in the middle of the KCAC in most categories. They are scoring 75.3 points a night but give up 77.5; the team nets 40.9 percent from the field including just 28.5 from distance. Their defense is atop the league in opposing field goal percentage at 39.9 percent. SC also leads the conference in rebounding with their 42.0 average. They turn the ball over 15.3 times, dish out 12.9 assists, steal away a KCAC-low 4.2, and block away 3.6 a game.
Braden Thomopson is scoring a team-high 14.2 through the team's 13 conference games; he has made a team leading 59 field goals including 21 from distance. Brandon Stacker is next on the list with his 12.6 average. The final double-digit scorer is Rolando Gardner who nets 10.3 a night; he has made 46-of-57 from the charity stripe. Brandon Givens puts in 9.5 per contest and has drained 21 three balls.
SC will battle Bethel College in North Newton for their next outing.
