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McPherson, Kan. – Following their monster win against York College on Thursday, the MC women's basketball team is looking to keep the momentum going as they host Sterling College on Saturday for their first KCAC game of the New Year. The January 9th games start at 1:00 p.m. (CT) with the JV women and the varsity tipoff is scheduled for 5:00.
Scouting McPherson
MC is 6-12 this season but have won three of their last five games including their last conference game back in December, a 74-69 overtime win over Oklahoma Wesleyan University. The team also took down York College, 77-48, in their first game of 2016.
Last Time Out – It was a McPherson run game from the get-go as the Lady 'Dogs jumped out early and then led 25-14 after one. York showed some life in the second quarter but a mental error at the end of the period allowed Mac to take a 41-30 lead into the locker room. The Bulldogs were relentless coming out of the break and they all but put the game away with a 24-8 third quarter; they took a 65-38 advantage into the fourth. The final period was very quick as the 'Dogs ran the clock and York couldn't do anything offensively. The game came to a close with the home team winning 77-48. McPherson netted 25-of-69 field goals with 5-of-14 from behind the arc; they dropped in 22-of-29 free throws. The team grabbed 41 rebounds and had 11 steals, assists, and turnovers along with six blocks.
Georgia Smart led the team in scoring with her 16 points on 7-of-13 field goals and 2-of-4 free throws; she also had five rebounds and three blocks. Ashton Bruner was a close second with her 15 points on 6-of-18 from the floor and 3-of-5 from the charity stripe; the senior pulled in a team-high eight rebounds and led the team in assists with six, steals with three, and tied Smart in blocks with three. Sunny Smart went 4-of-7 from three-point land and added in a nice putback for her 14 points; she also had five rebounds. Bailey Brown was in foul trouble most of the game but still scored 11 points on 2-of-8 field goals and a perfect 6-of-6 free throws; the senior hauled in five boards in her season-low 23 minutes.
Year at a Glance – McPherson is scoring 66.3 points a night while allowing 69. They make 38.9% from the floor but just 28.2% from range; their 68.9 free throw percentage is fourth best in the league. The team pulls in 40 rebounds each night and have a 4.2 rebounding margin, second in the KCAC. They record 11.5 assists, 8.4 steals, and 3.4 blocks a game. The Bulldogs are 16th in the NAIA D-II in total rebounds with 720 and 17th in total blocks at 61.
Brown is the leading scorer this season for Mac with her 15.3 average; the senior has made 105-of-124 free throws and also tallies nearly five boards a night. The leading rebounder for McPherson is Bruner who has 148 on the year for a 8.7 average; she is second on the scoring list with her 13.4ppg. S Smart tallies 8.2 points each time out and has made a team-high 32 three-point buckets.
MC hits the road next Thursday for a 6:00 p.m. contest against the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth, Kansas.
Scouting Sterling
The Lady Warriors head into Saturday's game with a 5-12 overall record, 3-6 in the KCAC. After losing their first six games of the season, Sterling has pretty much gone back and forth with wins and losses for their past 10 games. SC has already played three games in 2016 with their most recent being a 95-85 loss to Oklahoma Wesleyan this past Thursday.
Last Time Out – The high-scoring contest started fast as both teams made it into double-digits just a couple minutes in. Sterling led by as many as eight midway through the first but a run by OKWU tied things up heading into the second, 28-28. SC again had a strong opening part of the quarter and after holding off another Eagle attack, headed into the locker room up 45-44. The third period saw six ties and a pair of lead changes as the two teams stayed neck-and-neck throughout; SC was on top 67-65 with 10 minutes to play. The game's final tie came at the six-minute mark which is when Oklahoma Wesleyan went on a 14-4 run to take a 10-point advantage with just over two minutes to play. The double figure deficit was too much for the Lady Warriors to handle as they lost 95-85. Sterling made 28-of-61 field goals in the game, 45.9%, which included 6-of-15 from distance; they connected on 23-of-27 from the foul stripe. The Warriors hauled in 36 rebounds to go along with their 16 turnovers, 15 assists, and five steals.
Much as she's done all year, Hailey Davis led all scoring with her 28 points on 11-of-14 field goals and 5-of-6 foul shots; the junior also had six boards and three assists. Jessica Prince netted 18 points on 6-of-8 from the floor and a perfect 6-of-6 from the line. Jordin Greer went 3-of-5 from deep but just 1-of-12 from the rest of the field; the guard added in a pair of free throws for her 13 points. Kristin Waters also hit double figures scoring with her 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting with 4-of-5 from the stripe.
Year at a Glance – This season SC is third in the conference in scoring with 69.4 points a night; however, they allow a second-worst 73.4 point to their opponents. The team is making 38.4% from the floor with 28.6% falling from long range; their 70.2 free throw percentage is third in the KCAC. They make just 4.4 threes a night, 10th in the league. The Warriors tally 40.2 rebounds each time out along with 15.4 turnovers, 10.8 assists, 7.1 steals, and just 1.2 blocks.
Davis ranks 13th in the nation in total scoring with her 293 points, a 17.2 average; she has bucketed 100-of-199 field goals and 82-of-112 free throws this year. The guard is second on the team in rebounds with 6.1 a night and also has a team-high 31 steals on the season. Greer is second on the team in scoring with 12.9 points each time out; she is the top three-point shooter for SC, making 16-of-45 this year; she averages 5.0 rebounds. Princ and Megan Stagner are each in the nine-point range for scoring this season; Princ is the leading rebounder for the Warriors at 6.7 a game.
Sterling will get their KCAC "bye-week" next Thursday and as such, have scheduled Haskell Indian Nations University for a home contest.
