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McPherson, Kan. – The McPherson College men's basketball team will play host to their inter-county rival Bethany College this Thursday, February 4 in the Sport Center. The JV men's game is set for a 4:00 p.m. (CT) tip with the varsity getting underway at 8:00. The night is the annual Pink Out Night for MC so wear your pink!
Scouting McPherson
The Bulldogs hold a 7-18 overall record and are 3-12 in the KCAC. The team has gone 1-7 since the turn of the New Year but have had several close calls including an 80-70 loss to Friends University this past weekend in Wichita.
Last Time Out – After holding a slim lead for the first few minutes, the Bulldogs were victims of a pair of runs by FU before the 10-minute mark. The Falcons increased their advantage to double-digits and they headed into the break up 36-24. In the second, Mac fell behind by 16 early and then 20 by the midway point of the half. The 'Dogs put a run together and pulled their deficit back to single figures but they never got closer than eight. Friends made enough from the line in the closing minutes to preserve their 10-point win. MC shot in 25-of-61 for the game with 8-of-26 from behind the arc; they went 12-of-20 from the stripe. The team pulled in 39 rebounds including 16 on the offensive end of the court; they also had 16 turnovers, five steals, five assists, and three blocks.
Chris Crook scored 16 to lead MC; he was 5-of-13 from the floor but just 4-of-7 from the line. Dee Roberts totaled 13 points on 4-of-11 shooting with 3-of-3 free throws dropping. DeAndre Henson went 4-of-8 from the field and 3-of-7 from the line for his 12 points. Ryan O'Hara returned to the lineup and snagged a team-high 10 rebounds to go along with his four points. Louis Parker III had a near-perfect day, making 4-of-5 field goals and 1-of-1 free throws for nine points.
ALL STATISTICS ARE FROM KCAC GAMES ONLY
Year at a Glance – Mac nets 74.8 points each time they hit the court while allowing 81.5; they are last in the league in scoring margin at -6.7. The team is shooting in 41.9% from the field with 33.1% dropping from deep, third in the KCAC; McPherson leads the conference in free throw percentage at 76.2%. The Bulldogs pull in 36.9 rebounds a game but have a -4.1 rebounding margin; they log 10.6 assists, 5.3 steals, and 2.1 blocks each contest.
Crook is scoring 19.0 points a night while shooting in 43.3% from the field; he has made a team-high 31 three balls and 78-of-91 free throws. Roberts nets 14.2 each time out and sits second on the three-point list with 27-of-85 threes dropping through. Ramon Martinez is third in scoring with his 11.1 average; he also grabs 5.6 boards a game, second highest on the team. Since re-joining the Bulldogs a couple weeks ago, Henson is scoring 9.0 points per contest while pulling in 3.3 boards.
Bulldogs in the National Rankings – As a team, MC is fifth in the NAIA D-II in free throw percentage at 75.7% for the year. Crook ranks 17th with his 85.2 free throw percentage.
MC will stay at home as rivalry week continues when they host Tabor College on February 6th; JV is set for a 3:00 p.m. start with the varsity men slated for a 7:00 tipoff.
Scouting Bethany
The Swedes have had a very up and down season, winning a couple games then losing a few. The team is 9-14 on the year and 6-8 in the KCAC with their biggest wins coming against Ottawa University, University of Saint Mary, and then this last Saturday over Oklahoma Wesleyan University, 97-89.
Last Time Out – A back-and-forth first 10 minutes was ended when Bethany went on an 11-0 run, pushing the score to 20-9. OKWU tried to push back but the Swede lead stayed in the double-digits most of the final 10 minutes; the Eagles owned the final two minutes as they ended the half on an 11-2 run to bring the halftime score to 39-38. BC held a slim advantage for the opening minutes of the second period but then the tides turned midway through as Oklahoma Wesleyan jumped out in front by as many as seven. The home team Swedes pushed back and tied it up a few minutes later, leading to a very close final few. Trailing by just a few, OKWU began fouling in the closing minutes and Bethany was able to hit their foul shots to take the 97-89 victory.
Jonathan Gidson put a game-high 25 points through the hoop with 7-of-13 field goals and all 10 of his free throws falling; he also had eight rebounds in the win. Gary Jones went 7-of-13 from the field as well and 6-of-8 from the line for his 20 points. Joe Habtemariam netted 5-of-12 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the stripe for his 17 points; the guard had six boards. Larry McLin had a rough night shooting but still scored 10 points; he went 3-of-11 shooting with just 4-of-7 free throws.
ALL STATISTICS ARE FROM KCAC GAMES ONLY
Year at a Glance – The Swedes are the conference leading team in terms of scoring at 84.4 points a night; however, they are second to last in scoring defense as they allow 84.2. The team makes 43.9% from the field which ranks third; they bucket 32.2% from deep and 68.8% from the line. Bethany is the top rebounding team as well, pulling in 43.4 boards a game; they also tally 13.1 assists, 7.6 steals, and 3.4 blocks which are all good for third in the KCAC.
Gidson is one-tenth off of averaging 20 points a game while shooting in 48.9% from the field; he is pulling down 7.4 boards and is the leading blocker for BC with 11 in his 14 KCAC games. Jones tallies 17.9 scoring and also grabs 7.7 rebounds; he is second to Gidson in free throw makes, going 61-of-87. McLin is dropping in 14.1ppg with 22 of his 66 field goal makes coming from distance, second on the team. Habtemariam is the top three-point shooter for the Swedes with his 26-of-71 showing from behind the arc.
Bethany will head to Sterling, Kansas for their next contest which is set for Saturday the 6th.
