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McPherson, Kan. – For the next two weeks the KCAC will have their mid-week games on Wednesday and the Lady Bulldog basketball team is fortunate enough to host games on both those dates. This Wednesday, January 20, Mac welcomes Bethel College for a 6:00 p.m. (CT) contest; there will NOT be a women's junior varsity contest.
Scouting McPherson
The Bulldogs are 8-13 this season and hold a 5-6 league record. The team has won three of their previous four overall contests and three of their last four KCAC games as well. This past Saturday, MC took down historical conference powerhouse Southwestern College, 65-59.
Last Time Out – McPherson struggled to score early but once they got going they quickly took the lead and following a 14-4 run, ended the first quarter up 16-10. The second went back-and-forth with the Bulldogs holding the lead throughout; at halftime, Mac led 32-29. The Lady 'Dogs increased their advantage to 10 points midway through the third period as Southwestern struggled to score; MC's lead peaked at 14 and the team went into the final quarter in complete control and up 48-37. SWC started the fourth on a 14-3 run to tie the game before the five-minute mark. The Bulldogs never lost their cool or their lead and converted at the stripe in the final minutes to hold on for the six-point win. McPherson netted 19-of-48 from the floor with 5-of-16 coming from behind the arc; they made 22-of-34 free throws. The team tallied 37 rebounds along with 14 turnovers, 10 assists, 10 steals, and five blocks.
Ashton Bruner led the team in scoring with 15 points and also had 15 rebounds; the senior tallied three blocks, two assists, and a steal in her 33 minutes of play. Bailey Brown went 3-of-7 from the floor and, much like she's done all year, made her living at the free throw line, 9-of-11; the four-year player tabbed three steals and a pair of assists. Georgia Smart put in nine points on 4-of-6 shooting with 1-of-4 foul shots falling as well; she had five rebounds, tying her with Brown for second on the team.
ALL STATISTICS ARE FROM KCAC GAMES ONLY
Year at a Glance – Mac is scoring 65.7 points each time out while giving up 67.9. They make 37.2% of their field goals and see 26.7% of their three-point attempts find the bottom of the net; the team connects on 67.3% from the charity stripe. The Bulldogs sit second in the KCAC in total rebounds a game with a 41.2 average; their 5.3 rebounding margin is third in the league. MC tallies 9.3 assists, 7.6 steals, and 3.1 blocks a night.
Brown is the leading scorer this season for MC with 15.6 points a game; she has made an impressive 77-of-94 free throws and grabs 5.6 boards a game. Bruner is a close second at 14.7ppg; she has pulled in 99 rebounds for a 9.0 average. Georgia Smart nets 9.6 points each time out and tabs 5.0 rebounds as well.
Bulldogs in the National Ranking – The team is 17th in the nation in total blocks, 74, and total rebounds 837. Brown is 16th in the NAIA D-II in free throw percentage at 83.7% for the year. Bruner sits 18th with her 180 total rebounds.
McPherson will make the trip to Ottawa University on January 23rd for their next contest; tipoff is set for 3:00 p.m.
Scouting Bethel
The Lady Threshers hold a 4-11 overall record and are 2-9 in the KCAC with wins coming against Saint Mary and Southwestern back in early December. The team has lost four-straight with their last win coming back before the holiday break. Most recently, BC went toe-to-toe with a very high scoring Oklahoma Wesleyan University squad this past Saturday.
Last Time Out – It was a very, very shooter friendly first quarter as the teams totaled 21 total field goals for 52 points. OKWU got up early and led by as many as 12 which is where the period ended, 32-20. The second was fairly close as the teams traded buckets throughout with the Lady Eagles holding a 14-point advantage at halftime, 51-37. In the third, Bethel was able to get their deficit back to single figures multiple times but still trailed 69-56 with 10 minutes to play. The Threshers came alive in the final period as they quickly pulled within six on a 13-0 run to start the fourth. A few possessions later and the score gap was just one point with five minutes to play. A mini-run by OKWU put them ahead eight with less than 60 seconds to play and a 3-of-4 free throw showing was enough to give the Eagles the 87-82 win. BC went 32-of-89 on the night with 6-of-22 three balls falling through; they made just 12-of-21 from the line. BC pulled in a phenomenal 65 rebounds including 26 off the offensive glass; they also had 24 turnovers, 19 assists, seven steals and three blocks.
Kendra Scott scored a season-high 17 points on 8-of-13 field goals with a 2-of-4 showing at the stripe; she also had 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the year. Elise Gerlach made 4-of-15 from the floor and 2-of-2 from the line for 12 points; the guard added in seven rebounds and four assists. Lauren Ulrich made just 3-of-19 field goals and 3-of-4 free throws for 11 points; she tabbed eight boards, five dimes, and three steals. Karlie Schroeder went 50% from the field and hit both her free throws for 10 points.
ALL STATISTICS ARE FROM KCAC GAMES ONLY
Year at a Glance – Bethel, who has started the same five players for all 11 league games, is eighth in the league in scoring at 61.8ppg and rank 10th in scoring defense as they allow 71.2 to their opponents. They make 36.6% from the floor including just 26.5% from behind the arc; their 62.6 free throw percentage is second to last in the KCAC. The team is grabbing 38.1 rebounds a night to go along with 11.1 assists, 8.1 steals (third in the league), and 2.8 blocks.
Ulrich is scoring 14.4 points a game and has made a team-high 20 three-point buckets; she is 46-of-54 from the foul line, 85.2%. Gerlach is next on the scoring list at 9.0 points per contest; the guard sits second in three pointers as well. Scott leads the team in rebounding average at 5.1 to go along with her 7.6 points.
The Threshers will host Sterling College on Saturday for their next contest.
