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McPherson, Kan. – In their final road game of the 2015-16 regular season, the McPherson College women's basketball team will travel to Sterling, Kansas to take on the Sterling College Warriors; tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m. (CT)
Scouting McPherson
The Bulldogs are 12-16 on the year and 9-9 in the KCAC; they sit in fifth place of the league and, depending on the outcome of their final two games, could finish as high as third or as low as eighth. MC is 5-3 in the second round of conference and will head into Thursday's contest coming off a solid performance down in Oklahoma.
Last Time Out – It was a grinder from the get-go as the Lady 'Dogs took on a very offensive heavy Eagles team of Oklahoma Wesleyan University. OKWU took 14 three-point shots in the first period, making five, and took a 23-19 lead into the second. After shooting in 60% from the field in the opening quarter, Mac kept on taking quality shots and tied the game at the break, 30-30; the Eagles went 0-of-13 from deep in the second. Coming out of halftime, the shooting struggles continued for OKWU and the Bulldogs took advantage as they went on a couple of mini-runs to take a 56-45 lead into the final quarter. Oklahoma Wesleyan picked up the pace in the fourth and pulled within a bucket late but a steady showing from the free throw line for Mac gave them a 73-71 upset win. The 'Dogs knocked in 26-of-51 from the floor with just 2-of-10 threes falling in; they went 19-of-29 from the charity stripe. The team gobbled up 44 rebounds and had 31 turnovers, 16 assists, nine steals and blocked away six shots.
Ashton Bruner led all scoring with her 23 points on 8-of-12 field goals and 7-of-10 free throws; the senior also had a team-high nine rebounds. Bailey Brown dropped in 4-of-10 from the floor and 9-of-12 from the line for her 17; she too had nine boards. Brooke Racette drained 5-of-7 from the field and both of her free throws for 13 points. The final double-digit scoring Bulldog was Amanda Allen who went 6-of-9 for 12 points; she had five boards along with three blocks.
ALL STATISTICS ARE FROM KCAC GAMES ONLY
Year at a Glance – MC is eighth in the league in scoring with 62.4 points per game; they are third in scoring defense, however, as they hold their opponents to 64.8 points each time out. McPherson makes 36.5% from the field but net just 26.7% from three; they are seventh in the KCAC in free throw percentage at 68.1%. The team sits second in defensive field goal percentage, limiting the opposing team to just 37.3% from the floor and 26.7% from deep. They tab 40.7 rebounds a game along with 9.1 assists. 7.6 steals, and 3.9 blocks.
Bruner is the leading scorer through the team's 18 KCAC games with her 16.3 average; she is also atop the rebounding list at 8.6 boards a night. Brown is second at 15.8ppg; she has made 122-of-150 free throws and ranks second in rebounding average at 5.8. Georgia Smart averages 7.3 points and 4.4 rebounds each time she hits the court.
Bulldogs in the National Rankings – Bruner is 20th in the NAIA D-II in defensive rebounds per game at 6.37 and Brown is 22nd in free throw percentage at 82.8% on the year.
Mac will take on the University of Saint Mary on Saturday for their final regular season game of the season; start time for Senior Night is set for 3:00 p.m.
Scouting Sterling
The Lady Warriors sit at 10-18 on the year and are 8-11 in the KCAC; they rank eighth in the league and as Thursday's game is their final of the regular season, they are at the mercy of the rest of the conference to determine their final standing. Sterling is winners of four of their last five with three being upset victories; they are 5-4 in the second round of KCAC play.
Last Time Out – Mac and SC share a common most recently played team as the Warriors took on Oklahoma Wesleyan this past weekend. The first quarter was very close with OKWU holding a slim lead throughout; they were up 14-10 after one. In the second, the Eagles pushed their lead to double figures and went into the break with a 38-31 advantage. A back-and-forth third quarter tightened things up and with one period to play, the home team Eagles led 52-51. In the fourth, Sterling jumped out early and maintained a small lead most of the way; the Warriors hit some big shots late and then made their free throws to take the game 79-69. SC went 28-of-69 for the game with 4-of-11 three balls dropping; they were 19-of-30 from the foul stripe. The team grabbed 50 rebounds with 15 being offensive boards; they tabbed just 15 turnovers, four assists, and three steals.
Hailey Davis led all scoring with 20 points on 7-of-15 from the floor and 6-of-8 from the line; she also had a team-high nine rebounds. Jessica Princ made 6-of-11 field goals and 6-of-8 foul shots for 18 points; she tallied eight boards in the win. Alissa Gasper scored 11 points from the bench and Jordin Greer was the final Warrior to hit double figures scoring with her 10 on 5-of-10 shooting.
ALL STATISTICS ARE FROM KCAC GAMES ONLY
Year at a Glance – Sterling is scoring 66.2 points a game while allowing 66.7, making for some very close games; they've had five games in 2016 that have been decided by less than five points. The team is making 40% from the floor with 27.9% falling from three; they net 71.4% from the stripe, fourth in the league. SC grabs 38.2 rebounds a game and tally 9.9 assists, 5.5 steals, and 1.0 blocked shots.
Davis is the top scorer for Sterling with her 16.6ppg; she is shooting 44.9% from the floor and has made 19 three balls. Greer is the only other double-digit scorer at 12.7 points a night; she also pulls in 5.0 boards a game. Princ is close to that 10-point average at 9.9; she is second on the team in rebounding at 5.3 per contest, Davis leads the way with her 5.7 boards each time out.
