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McPherson, Kan. – After a big win this past Wednesday, the MC men's basketball team will look to keep the momentum going in Wichita, Kansas as they take on Friends University at 7:00 p.m. (CT); the JV men's game is set for a 2:00 start.
Scouting McPherson
The Bulldogs are 7-17 this season and 3-11 in the conference. Following a six-game losing streak to start 2016, Mac won against Kansas Wesleyan University on Wednesday 83-66.
Last Time Out – McPherson played from behind for the first half of the opening period but a surge in the later stages gave them a 36-29 advantage at the break. The second half belonged to the Bulldogs as they roared out to a double-digit lead and didn't look back. MC went up by as many as 29 points and never needed to look over their shoulder as they went on to win 83-66. The 'Dogs dropped in 29-of-63 from the floor with 13-of-29 coming from distance; they netted 12-of-16 free throws. The team pulled down 41 boards including 12 on the offensive end of the court; they logged 15 assists, 12 turnovers, five blocks, and four steals.
Ramon Martinez led the quintet of double figure scorers with his game-high 17 points on 6-of-13 field goals and 2-of-2 free throws; the guard/forward hybrid grabbed nine boards, had two assists, two steals, and one block as well. Crook made 4-of-9 from the floor and both his foul shots for 16 points; he had three boards, a pair of blocks, one steal, and one assist. DeAndre Henson, making his home debut, scored 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting with both his free throws falling through; he pulled in six rebounds and had a couple assists as well. Dee Roberts netted 5-of-11 from the field and 1-of-2 from the stripe for his 13 points. The final double-digit scorer was Aaron Bachura who was 3-of-7 from deep and 1-of-2 from two-point range for 11 points. Reed Rowell was just one bucket off from hitting 10 points as he went 3-of-6 from the field and 2-of-2 from the line for eight points; the junior transfer pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds.
ALL STATISTICS ARE FROM KCAC GAMES ONLY
Year at a Glance – Mac averages 75.1 points a night while allowing 81.6; they are 10th in the league in scoring margin at -6.4. The team is making 41.9% from the floor with 33.2% dropping in from behind the arc, third in the KCAC; they make a conference leading 77.5% from the charity stripe. The team is 10th in the KCAC in rebounding average with 36.8 boards a night; they also tally 11.0 assists, 5.4 steals, and 2.0 blocks.
Crook is having a very impressive junior season with a 19.2 scoring average; he has made a team-high 83 field goals with 29 coming from behind the arc. Roberts is second for Mac with his 14.3ppg; the junior transfer is second in three-point makes with 25. The final Bulldog that averages double-digits in terms of points is Martinez who sits at 11.6.
Bulldogs in the National Rankings – Crook is 12th in the NAIA D-II with his 76.4 free throw percentage. The team is fifth in the country with their 76.4 free throw percentage.
Mac will go through rivalry week next week as they host Bethany College on February 4th and then Tabor College on the 6th; tipoff for the Thursday night games are 4:00 p.m. for the junior varsity and 8:00 for the varsity men.
Scouting Friends
The Falcons have had a hit or miss season with a lot of very close games. The team is 7-14 on the year and hold a 6-7 conference record; they are just 2-4 in 2016. Friends had a tough time shooting the ball down in Oklahoma this past Wednesday as they fell 81-68 to the Eagles of Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Last Time Out – The Falcons controlled much of the first half, pushing their advantage to seven within the first few minutes. A run by OKWU swung the game in their favor as they rolled to a 12-point halftime lead, 43-31. The Eagles quickly jumped ahead by 20 less than five minutes into the second half and looked to have the game wrapped up. The visiting Falcons had other plans as they used a 7-0 run to tighten things up in the closing minutes. Friends never got closer than eight and ended the game losing 81-68. FU made 18-of-56 field goals in the 40-minute contest; they netted 8-of-32 from deep and 24-of-29 from the charity stripe. The team pulled in just 24 rebounds with seven being offensive boards; they tallied 14 turnovers, nine assists, and nine steals.
Brett Williams led all scoring with his 21 points on 5-of-10 field goals and a perfect 7-of-7 from the line. Chris Singhateh was just 3-of-11 from the floor but made 7-of-8 from the line for 14 points; he had five rebounds, three steals, and a pair of assists as well. Brandon Johnson went 4-of-13 from the floor and made 2-of-2 free throws for his 12 points; the reserve player led the team in rebounds with seven.
ALL STATISTICS ARE FROM KCAC GAMES ONLY
Year at a Glance – The Falcons net 71.8 points a night which is the fewest in the conference; the team, however, is first in scoring defense, allowing just 71.1 points each time out. They score on 41.5% from the field with just 31.3% falling from range, last in the KCAC; they make 75.3% from the foul stripe, second in the league. The team grabs 34.7 rebounds a night which is at the bottom of the conference; they also tally 10.9 assists, 7.7 steals, and 3.45 blocks a game.
Toby Baxter is the leading scorer for Friends this season with his 19.2 average; he has made 81 field goals including 20 from deep. The shooting guard is the top free throw shooter for the Falcons, making 67-of-79. Johnson is second at 10.0 points per game; he has bucketed a team-high 28 three balls and pulls in 4.2 boards a night. Both Williams and Kaleb Ratliff log 9.5 points each time out; Williams is the third leading three-point shooter for FU. Singhateh tops the rebounding list for Friends, pulling in 5.8 to go along with his 9.3 points.
The Falcons will take on the Sterling College Warriors for their next game which is set for February 4th.
