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McPherson, Kan. – Winners of their past two games, the Lady Bulldog basketball team will head to Leavenworth, Kansas on Thursday night to take on the University of Saint Mary starting at 6:00 p.m. (CT)
Scouting McPherson
Mac sits at 7-12 on the year but have won four of their last six contests, three of which were by less than five points. The Bulldogs are 4-5 in the KCAC and are inching towards the top half of the conference following their 64-59 win over Sterling College this past weekend.
Last Time Out – In the game with the Warriors, McPherson had a great first quarter as they allowed just six points to SC while scoring 17. In the second period, Sterling kept things close and pulled three points closer as they trailed 35-27 at the break. The third was another close quarter as the teams tied 11-11, putting the score at 46-38 with 10 minutes to play. In the fourth, the Bulldogs quickly got up by double figures but Sterling wouldn't quit as they inched closer and pulled within one point with less than two minutes to play. Mac hit enough free throws down the stretch to hold on for the five-point win. The 'Dogs scored on 19-of-49 field goals with 5-of-13 coming from range; they made 21 of their 26 free throws. The team tallied 43 rebounds with 16 coming on the offensive end of the court. They also had 21 turnovers, 11 assists, eight blocks, and seven steals.
Ashton Bruner led all scoring with her 20 points on 9-of-16 field goals and 4-of-7 free throws; the senior tallied a double-double with 10 rebounds, seven of which were on the offensive end of the court. Bailey Brown scored 12 of her 18 points from the free throw line; she made 2-of-4 threes for the remainder of her points and had seven rebounds as well. Sunny Smart netted 4-of-12 field goals and 3-of-4 foul shots for 14 points.
Year at a Glance – The 'Dogs are scoring 66.2 points each time out while holding their opponents to just over 68. They are making 38.9% from the field but make just 28.7% from three; the team is connecting on 69.5% from the foul line. They tally 40.2 rebounds a night and have a positive rebounding margin of 4.6. Mac also averages 18.5 turnovers, 11.5 assists, 8.4 steals, and 3.6 blocks.
Senior captain Brown leads the way in scoring with her 15.5ppg; she has made 76-of-170 field goals and 117-of-138 free throws. Brown's free throw percentage of 84.8% is 13th in the NAIA D-II. Bruner is second on the team in points per game at 13.8; the senior also leads the team in rebounding average at 8.8 and in assists with 48 on the season. Smart is the top three-point shooter for Mac with her 35 this season; she averages 8.5 points a game.
MC will host Southwestern College on Saturday the 16th for their next contest; tipoff is set for 3:00 p.m.
Scouting Saint Mary
The Lady Spires are 6-10 on the year and 3-6 in the KCAC. The team won their first two conference games of the season but have since gone 1-6 with the other victory being an overtime win back in mid-December. Since returning from break, USM has gone 2-2 with their most recent win coming against Grace University, 66-48 this past Wednesday.
Last Time Out – In their home contest with the Lady Royals, Saint Mary trailed for most of the opening period but jumped in front late and led 13-10 after one. The second period went back and forth and the Spires went into the locker room up 22-18; the final 2+ minutes of the quarter were scoreless. The Spires stormed out of the gate in the third quarter, quickly jumping ahead 34-20; their advantage peaked at 18 points at the end of the period, 44-26. USM stayed ahead by nearly 20 for the remainder of the game, eventually winning 66-48. Saint Mary shot 36.6% for the game, 26-of-71, with 5-of-21 three balls falling through; they struggled from the stripe, making just 52.9% from the line, 9-of-17. The team pulled in 49 rebounds including an incredible 20 offensive boards; they also tallied 13 turnovers, 13 assists, 11 steals, and one steal in the win.
Both Imani Dixon and Imani White scored 12 points to lead the Spires in scoring. Dixon went 5-of-17 from the floor including a pair of threes for her total; she also had a team-high 10 rebounds. White netted 4-of-7 field goals and 4-of-8 free throws and tallied four boards in her 18 minutes of play.
Year at a Glance – This season the Spires are scoring 60.9 points a game while allowing close to 70; they have a -8.0 scoring margin. The team makes 35.5% from the field and watch just 29.7% of their three-point tries fall through; they are making 64.7% from the charity stripe. USM averages 39.4 rebounds a game to go along with their 19.8 turnovers, 9.9 assists, 6.1 steals, and 3.7 blocks per game.
Dixon is the only double-digit scorer for Saint Mary, putting up 13.5 points a night; she is also the leading rebounder at 6.8 per contest. The 6-0 guard has made a team-high 25 three-point buckets. Ashley Hinkle is next on the scoring list at 8.6ppg; she has netted 18 threes and a team leading 47 free throws. Kelsey Switzer is also over the eight-point average at 8.1; she is the leading stealer for USM with 23 on the year. The Spires boast 10 players over six feet with one of their forwards listed at 6-7 in Christi Holt who averages 2.6 points in her 8.7 minutes.
Saint Mary travels to Sterling College on January 16th for their next competition.
