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McPherson, Kan. – For those who don't remember, the last time that the McPherson College women's basketball team faced Ottawa University, a banked in buzzer near half court shot by the Braves gave OU a 60-58 win in McPherson. On Saturday, the Bulldogs will be seeking revenge in Ottawa with game time set for 3:00 p.m. (CT)
Scouting McPherson
The Lady 'Dogs are 9-13 on the year and 6-6 in the KCAC, putting them fifth in the league. The team has won four of their last five games with their latest victory coming against Bethel College this past Wednesday.
Last Time Out – McPherson led from the 9:20 mark throughout the rest of game. They took a nine-point advantage into the second quarter where their lead peaked at 16; MC was out in front 39-26 at the break. The third quarter was again mostly controlled by the Bulldogs with their lead dipping to single figures for just one possession; with 10 minutes to play, Mac led 58-46. Bethel started the fourth strong as they tore away at their deficit, pulling it to just three points with a little more than three minutes remaining. The Lady 'Dogs would not back down on their home court, where they've now won six in a row, as they hit their free throws late to take the 71-62 win. McPherson made 52.7% of their field goals, 29-of-55, with 6-of-16 threes falling through; they did not shoot well from the charity stripe, making just 7-of-15. The team tallied 35 rebounds with 12 coming on the offensive side of the court; they also tabbed 17 turnovers, 14 assists, nine steals, and three blocks.
Ashton Bruner had a very good night for Mac with her 18 points and nine rebounds; the senior went 6-of-13 from the field and 6-of-9 from the stripe. Bruner also tallied three assists, three steals and a pair of blocks. Bailey Brown was next on the team in scoring with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting; for the first time since midway through her sophomore season, the MC record holder for free throw attempts and makes did not shoot a single free throw. Amanda Allen added in nine points on 4-of-9 from the field and 1-of-2 from the line. Georgia Smart cashed in on 4-of-5 from the floor for eight points.
ALL STATISTICS ARE FROM KCAC GAMES ONLY
Year at a Glance – Mac is scoring 64.6 points per game through their 12 conference contests; they allow 66.8 for a -2.8 scoring margin which is sixth in the league. The 'Dogs are scoring on 38.6% from the field with just 27.6% falling from behind the arc; they net 66.4% from the foul stripe. The team is second in the KCAC in rebounding average at 40.7 and sit third in rebounding margin with a positive 5.3. MC also tabs 9.7 assists, 7.8 steals, and 3.1 blocks each time out.
Brown is scoring 15.6 points a night and also pulls down 5.5 rebounds; she has made 77-of-94 free throws for an 81.9 percentage. Bruner is gaining ground on the top scoring spot as she's now at 15.0ppg; the senior leads the Bulldogs in rebounding average at 9.0 and assists with 23 in the KCAC season. Smart is at 9.4 points a night and also pulls in 4.9 rebounds.
Bulldogs in the National Rankings – Brown is 14th in the NAIA D-II in free throw percentage at 83.7%. Bruner ranks 16th in total rebounds with 189 and is 21st in defensive rebounds a game at 6.5. The team sits at 18th in total rebounds this season with 872.
MC will host Kansas Wesleyan University for another Wednesday night contest on January 27th; tipoff for JV is set for 2:00 p.m. with the varsity game getting underway at 6:00.
Scouting Ottawa
The Braves are 6-13 this season and 5-7 in the KCAC; they went 5-5 in the first round of conference but have lost their first two of the second round and are currently in a four-game losing streak.
Last Time Out – Ottawa had the unfortunate luck of playing a hot-shooting Oklahoma Wesleyan team this past Wednesday; OKWU has averaged over 90 points since the New Year. The Lady Eagles came out firing and quickly amassed a 10-point lead by the midway point of the first quarter; OU pushed back late and used a 7-0 run to end the period down just 30-22. Oklahoma Wesleyan jumped back up by 10 on their first possession of the second quarter and led by 10+ throughout; they headed into break ahead 60-47. In the third, Ottawa's deficit reached 20 points and the team trailed by 15 with one quarter to go. The Braves made a couple of runs in the final period but they didn't last long as OKWU had an answer every time and went on to take the game 104-88. OU shot the ball well in the 40-minute contest, dropping in 30-of-70 from the floor; they struggled from behind the arc, making just 3-of-14 but were 25-of-31 from the stripe.
Hannah Thomas had a stand-out game, scoring a career-high 25 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field and 7-of-8 from the stripe; the guard made two of the team's three-point buckets and also had 10 defensive rebounds. Ashley Romig scored 13 on 3-of-9 field goals and 7-of-10 free throws; she also had eight rebounds with five coming on the offensive end of the court. Nichole Boden went 3-of-8 from the floor and a perfect 6-of-6 from the stripe for 12 bench points while Madi Steward and Kaylee Williams each added in 11 points.
ALL STATISTICS ARE FROM KCAC GAMES ONLY
Year at a Glance – The Braves are scoring just 62.3 points a game while allowing 67.3; their -5.0 scoring margin is eighth in the league. The team is making 36.6% from the field with 27% of their three pointers falling, both are second from the bottom in the KCAC; they do make their free throws, however, as they lead the conference at 78.7%. OU is rebounding a league low 34.3 rebounds each time out and have a -5.7 rebounding margin; they also tally 11.3 assists, 6.8 steals, and 2.8 blocks a game.
Romig scores a team-high 15.3 points each night and also leads the way in rebounds with 6.8; the junior has bucketed 83-of-103 free throws to lead the Braves. Stewart is next on both the scoring and rebounding lists at 13.3 and 6.78, respectively; she is the top three-point shooter for OU, making 10-of-42 in KCAC contests. Following her stellar game on Wednesday night, Thomas is now averaging 8.3 points a game.
Ottawa will travel to Sterling College for their next contest which is set for January 27th.
