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McPherson, Kan. – On January 27th the McPherson College men's basketball team will host Kansas Wesleyan University; tipoff for the JV game is set for 4:00 p.m. (CT) with the varsity men's contest getting underway at 8:00. Wednesday serves as the Champions Club Appreciation Night in the Sport Center.
The game also falls in the Coaches vs. Cancer week and as such, the coaches will be participating in "Suits & Sneakers." Coaches will wear sneakers with their dress clothes to raise awareness and funds for cancer research through the American Cancer Society. People will also be invited to decorate a paper sneaker and add the name of someone they love who has or who died of cancer.
Scouting McPherson
The Bulldogs hold a 6-17 record and are 2-11 in the KCAC; their last conference win came back in mid-December. The team has had several close contests over the last few weeks but have not been able to pull off the victory. In their most recent game, Mac faced a hot-handed Ottawa University team that took the game 101-82.
Last Time Out – After a tight first five minutes, the home team Braves jumped out in front by double-digits on an 11-0 run; their lead peaked at 21 in the first half and they led 57-39 at the break. In the second, MC tried to keep their deficit in the teens but Ottawa kept hitting their shots which led to the near 20-point win. The 'Dogs made a very respectable 31-of-69 from the floor but counted just 8-of-30 from deep; they netted 12-of-16 from the stripe.
Chris Crook scored a game-high 24 points on 7-of-15 field goals and 8-of-9 foul shots; the junior also had five rebounds and three assists in a team leading 33 minutes. Redshirt freshman Jared Haury shot the ball well for the Bulldogs, dropping in 6-of-9 from the floor including 4-of-6 from deep for his career-high 16 points. Aaron Bachura was the final double-digit scoring Bulldog with his 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting with 2-of-3 free throws.
ALL STATISTICS ARE FROM KCAC GAMES ONLY
Year at a Glance – The Bulldogs average 74.5 points a game while surrendering 82.8 for a KCAC-low -8.2 scoring margin. The team is making 41.6% of their field goals with 32.1 percent falling in from deep; they lead the league in free throw percentage at 77.6%. Mac pulls in 36.5 rebounds a night and sit at the bottom of the conference in rebounding margin at -6.3. The 'Dogs tally 10.7 assists, 5.5 steals, and 1.8 blocked shots a night.
Crook is scoring 19.5 points through the team's 13 KCAC outings; he has made 43.3% of his field goals, 77-of-178, with 27 coming from deep. The junior is the top free throw shooter for MC, making 72-of-82; he also pulls in 4.6 boards a night. Dee Roberts is tabbing 14.5 points each time out and is second on the team in both total field goals and three-point makes with 62 and 23, respectively. Ramon Martinez is also over the 10-point hump nearly every game, averaging 11.2 points; he pulls in 5.7 rebounds as well.
Bulldogs in the National Rankings – The men's team is fifth in the NAIA D-II with their 76.4 free throw percentage. Crook ranks 13th in free throw percentage at 86.5% on the year.
McPherson will travel to Wichita, Kansas on the 30th for their next contest; start time with the Friends University Falcons is set for 3:00 p.m. for the JV and 7:00 for the varsity squad.
Scouting Kansas Wesleyan
The Coyotes sit at 6-16 on the year with a 4-9 KCAC record; their last league win came on the same day as Mac's, mid-December before the holiday break. KWU is in the middle of an eight-game losing streak and are currently defeated in the New Year, 0-7. Kansas Wesleyan most recently took on Oklahoma Wesleyan University on the road this past Saturday.
Last Time Out – After a back-and-forth first five minutes, the Eagles jumped out in front by double figures and continued to lead throughout the opening half; the home team took a 44-27 advantage into the locker room. The second half score stayed in the teens for most of the way but reached 20+ in the final minutes; the final gave OKWU an 81-61 victory. KWU didn't have a great night shooting the ball, making just 21-of-61 for a 34.4 percentage; they converted on 6-of-20 threes and just 13-of-23 from the charity stripe. The Coyotes tallied 41 rebounds along with 22 turnovers, 10 assists, seven steals, and three blocks.
Ryan Hill led the way in scoring for Kansas Wesleyan, making 5-of-13 field goals with two from deep for 12 points. Jacob Lunz was next on the list with 11 points on 3-of-7 shooting with 5-of-8 free throws; he led the team in rebounds with eight. Dominique Johnson also hit double-digits with his 10 points on 4-of-11 from the floor and 1-of-1 from the line.
ALL STATISTICS ARE FROM KCAC GAMES ONLY
Year at a Glance – The Coyotes are 10th in the league in scoring with 73.4 points on average; they allow 79.7 giving them a -6.3 scoring margin, second to last in the KCAC. The team is making 40.9% from the floor, 10th in the conference, with 32.6% falling from deep; they are the second best team from the stripe with their 75.1 free throw percentage. The team is grabbing 39.0 rebounds a game along with 10.1 assists, 5.1 steals, and 3.4 blocks. The zone-heavy squad is second in the KCAC in defensive three-point percentage at 30.7%.
Johnson is averaging 17.3 points per game while playing in a team-high 32.7 minutes; he leads in field goals (63) and three pointers (27) and is second in free throws (54). Lunz ranks second in points a night at 12.6 but leads the way in rebounding average at 6.2; he is the team leader in free throw makes with 56-of-70 falling in. Hill also scores 10+ on average and is the leading steal getter with 13 in his 13 KCAC games. Dylan Hidalgo is second on the three-point list with 23 makes on 64 tries; the senior is scoring just under 10 points a game.
Kansas Wesleyan will host Sterling College for their next contest, coming on the 30th.
