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McPherson, Kan. – The conference season will kick back up on Saturday for the McPherson College men's basketball team as they host Sterling College at 7:00 p.m. (CT) in the Sport Center; the JV men's game is slated for a 3:00 start.
Scouting McPherson
The Bulldogs' record rests at 6-12 this year and the team is 2-6 in the KCAC. Mac headed into the holiday break on a three-game winning streak but were taken out by Baker University in their opening game of 2016, 83-59.
Last Time Out – After playing a great first five minutes, the 'Dogs went cold from the field and never heated back up. They tried to keep things close but Baker pushed forward midway through the period and took a 45-26 advantage into the locker room. In the second, the shooting struggles continued for Mac as they saw their deficit move to 37 points with just over five minutes left in the game. A group of mostly freshmen and sophomores played the final minutes of the game and brought the final to 83-59. The Bulldogs made just 19-of-69 field goals, 27.5%, with 7-of-35 dropping from deep; they performed well from the foul line, making 14-of-15 free throws. The team grabbed 35 rebounds and also tallied 15 turnovers, 10 assists, nine steals, and three blocks.
For the first time this season, Aaron Bachura led the 'Dogs in scoring with his 19 points on 7-of-19 from the floor and 3-of-3 from the line. Chris Crook tallied 11 points on 3-of-12 field goals and 5-of-6 free throws. Chris Lowe came on strong late in the game to score his 10 points; the freshman made 3-of-7 from the field including both his three pointers and he also hit his two free throws. Scoring eight points was junior Ryan O'Hara on 3-of-6 field goals; the transfer led the team in assists with eight and rebounds with four.
Year at a Glance – The Bulldogs are scoring 75.1 points each time out while allowing 80.6 for a KCAC ninth -5.4 scoring margin. The team makes a conference-low 39.7% from the field and 31.0% from distance; however, they lead the league in free throw percentage at 76.7% which is sixth highest in the NAIA D-II. Mac averages 38.1 rebounds, 13.8 turnovers, 11.8 assists, 6.7 steals, and 2.2 blocks each time out.
Crook is scoring 17.2 points a game and leads the team in field goals, three-point buckets, and free throw makes with 91, 38, and 89, respectively; he also averages 3.5 rebounds and has 15 steals on the season. Dee Roberts is tallying 14.3 points and sits second on the team in both total field goals, 88, and three-point makes, 31. Ramon Martinez knocks in 10.5 points each time he hits the court on 52% shooting, he's the only MC player to shoot over 50%. Forwards Reed Rowell and O'Hara are averaging close to eight points a night.
The Bulldogs will travel to Leavenworth, Kansas to face the University of Saint Mary for their next contest, coming on January 14th at 8:00 p.m.
Scouting Sterling
SC is 7-10 this season and have posted a 5-4 conference record. After going 1-2 over the break, Sterling made a huge splash with their first KCAC game of the New Year, defeating Oklahoma Wesleyan University 123-97 at home this past Thursday.
Last Time Out – 145 total field goals (68 from deep) and 69 free throws were taken by the two teams on Thursday night. After trailing for the first half of the opening period, the Warriors used a couple of runs to flip the script and went up by as many as 19 on some solid shooting; they ended the half leading 56-38. The SC lead was quickly pushed to 20+ in the second half and only dipped back into the teens for a few possessions. Sterling was never in any danger and took the game 123-97. The Warriors nearly set the nets of fire as they made 41-of-70 field goals with 15-of-30 threes falling through; they cashed in on 26-of-37 from the foul line. The team rebounded 36 balls and also had 21 assists in the victory.
Josiah Ray led the team in scoring despite only shooting one three pointer; the forward went 10-of-14 from the floor and 9-of-11 from the line for his 30 points. Brandon Givens dropped in 6-of-13 threes, 1-of-2 twos, and all nine of his free throws for 29 points. Maurice Williams scored on 5-of-8 field goals including 3-of-6 from deep for 13 points. Rolando Gardner scored eight points for SC and tallied a team-high seven assists.
Year at a Glance – Despite their scoring explosion on Thursday, Sterling averages just 78.9 points a night while allowing 80.3. They make 40.8% from the floor with 32.7% coming from range; they are 10th in the league in free throw percentage at 64.3%. SC ranks third in the KCAC in rebounding average with 40.6 a night but have a negative rebounding margin of 2.8. The team also tallies 14.1 assists, 13.7 turnovers, 8.1 steals, and 2.6 blocks each time out. Their defensive three-point percentage of 29.3 percent is fifth best in the NAIA.
The leading scorer this season for the Warriors is Terrence Boyd at 16.7ppg but he hasn't played since December 19th, missing all of the team's games in January. Brandon Givens has made a NAIA 8th best 56 three balls this season to help him average 13.5 points a night. Ray ranks third on the scoring list with an 11.5 point average; he also grabs 6.0 rebounds each time out. Maurice Williams is the final double-digit scorer at 10.0; he has 38 steals this year which is good enough for fourth in the country.
Sterling's next game will be a nonconference contest against Grace University on January 13th.
