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McPherson, Kan. – On Thursday, February 11 the McPherson College men's basketball team will travel out of the state to take on the Oklahoma Wesleyan University Eagles in an 8:00 p.m. (CT) contest; the Bulldogs are 2-3 this season when playing outside of the Kansas borders.
Scouting McPherson
The wins for the Bulldogs have been few and far between this year as they sit at 7-20 on the year and 2-14 in the KCAC. The team has only had a few games where they've been completely out of it as most are within a few buckets but MC has had a hard time finishing this season. This past Saturday Mac came from a 20+ deficit to lose by just 11, 91-80.
Last Time Out – Mac started slow and the NAIA No. 7 Bluejays took advantage as they jumped out by double figures less than 10 minutes in. The Bulldogs kept fighting and pulled within a few but another run by TC put them ahead 41-31 at the break. Tabor again had a strong showing at the start of the second half and quickly got up by 20. McPherson was resilient and used a 19-9 run to climb back within 10 with just four minutes left; the 'Dogs never got back to single digits, ending the night with a 91-80 loss. MC hit 28-of-73 for the game with 14-of-31 falling from deep; they netted 10-of-18 from the stripe. The team grabbed 40 total rebounds including 21 on the offensive end of the court; they also had 12 assists, just seven turnovers, five steals, and one block.
Dee Roberts made 7-of-16 field goals and 3-of-4 free throws for a game-high 20 points; he had three boards, three assists, and two steals as well. Chris Crook netted 6-of-15 from the floor and 5-of-8 from the line for 19 points; he tallied a team-high four assists. Aaron Bachura knocked down 5-of-7 three balls and 1-of-6 field goals for his 17 points; the sophomore tabbed six rebounds in his team-high 32 minutes. DeAndre Henson scored 15 points on 5-of-11 field goals and 2-of-6 foul shots; he gobbled up seven rebounds with four on the offensive end of the court. Louis Parker III and Reed Rowell each pulled in a team-high rebounds with five of Rowell's being offensive boards.
ALL STATISTICS ARE FROM KCAC GAMES ONLY
Year at a Glance – McPherson is scoring 75.2 points a night while allowing 82.2 to their opponents; their scoring margin is 11th in the league at -7.0. The team buckets 41.7% from the floor with a conference second-best 34.7% from deep; the 'Dogs are also second in free throw percentage at 75.0%. Mac pulls in 36.9 rebounds a game along with logging 11.0 assists, 5.5 steals, and 2.1 blocks.
Crook is the team leader in scoring with his 19.7 average; he has drained 104 total field goals with 38 from deep. Roberts nets 13.9 points each time out and is second in three-point makes with 31-of-97. Henson has helped the MC scoring with his 8.8 average; he also brings down 3.4 rebounds a game. Bachura is third in three-point buckets with 26-of-67 finding the bottom of the net; he averages 7.4ppg.
Bulldogs in the National Rankings – The team ranks ninth in free throw percentage at 75% on the year.
McPherson will take Saturday off as their next game isn't until February 18th when they will take on Sterling College on the road.
Scouting Oklahoma Wesleyan
The Eagles are a very young team, starting four freshmen for most of the season and their roster boasts just three upperclassmen. The record for OKWU also showcases the team's youth as they have had a very inconsistent year with strings of wins and losses speckled throughout. The team sits at 11-14 on the year 6-10 in the KCAC; they will head into Thursday's contest on a two-game skid, with their most recent defeat coming on a near-upset against Tabor.
Last Time Out – After trailing for the first 10 minutes, Oklahoma Wesleyan went on a couple of mini-runs to take a 28-18 advantage with just over seven left in the opening half. The Bluejays pushed back and took the lead a few possessions later; they led 41-35 at the break. Less than five minutes into the second and Tabor jumped out by 10+ and appeared to be in total control of the game. A run by OKWU tied the game up with four minutes remaining at 77-77. Trailing by one, the Eagles had a chance to win in the closing seconds but a turnover allowed TC to go on and win 89-86. Oklahoma Wesleyan went 30-of-70 for the game with 14-of-33 three balls falling through; they converted on 12-of-20 foul shots. The team logged 39 rebounds along with 16 assists, 16 turnovers, and five steals.
Ryan Schuessler knocked in 6-of-13 threes and 1-of-4 two pointers for a team-high 20 points; he also had six defensive boards and a team best five assists. CJ Ross totaled 16 points on 5-of-12 field goals and 3-of-5 free throws. Jake Feickert was the final Eagle in double figures with his 3-of-7 showing from the floor and 4-of-4 from the stripe for 12 points.
ALL STATISTICS ARE FROM KCAC GAMES ONLY
Year at a Glance – The Eagles are the top scoring team in the conference this season with their 84.1 average; they are at the bottom of the league in scoring defense, however, allowing 86.3 points a night. The team is making 42.2% from the field with 32.9% of their threes dropping; they are 10th in the KCAC in free throw percentage at 64%. OKWU gobbles up 41.8 boards a game to go along with their 12.7 assists, 7.4 steals, and 2.6 blocks.
Breiman Alexander leads the team in scoring this season with his 17.5 average; he has knocked down a team-high 38 three balls. Ross is next on the list at 14.4ppg; he has made it to the foul stripe the most for OKWU but makes just 64.1%. Gerald Thomas also averages over 10 points a game at 10.2; he pulls in 5.0 boards a night, second to Ross who tabs 5.9.
Oklahoma Wesleyan will have their final home game of the year on Saturday the 13th against Sterling College.
