Women's Basketball | 1/10/2010 12:00:00 AM
Box Score Leavenworth, Kan. – The University of Saint Mary used a what turned out to be a decisive 15-5 run that carried from late in the first half to early in the second for a 61-53 victory over McPherson College Saturday evening in Leavenworth, Kan.
With the loss, McPherson fell to 4-10 and 1-5 in KCAC play, while the Spires improve to 5-11 and 2-4 in conference action.
McPherson finished the game hitting just 25.4 percent (17-of-67) from the field, while USM connected on just 35.6 percent (16-of-45). The Spires, however, won the game at the free throw line, as they got to the charity stripe 32 times, hitting 26, while McPherson reached the free throw line 20 times, making 14.
Senior guard Michelle Ducy led all Bulldogs in scoring with 12 points, while pulling down four rebounds and five assists. Freshman forward Shireana Robinson added eight and junior guard Kristen Ozbun chipped in seven.
Neither team got out of the gates easily, as the teams combined to go 13-of-56 from the floor in the first half. USM held a slight edge, shooting 26.1 percent (6-of-23) to McPherson’s 21.2 percent (7-of-33) in the opening 20 minutes. The Spires, 30-24 first half edge was due to 16-of-18 shooting from the free throw line.
At the start of the second half, USM’s Sarah Beshears scored five straight points, including a three-pointer off a McPherson miss to push the Spire lead out to 11 points. The McPherson offense continued to struggle, going just 1-of-7 from the field for a four-minute stretch. The Bulldog drought allowed the Spires to pull their lead out to a game high 15 points, 43-28 with 13:40 left in the second half.
McPherson chipped away at the USM lead, but was unable to overtake the Spire attack, as USM connected on six straight free throws with under a minute left to seal the victory.
Guard Sarah Beshears, who finished the game with 14 points, led the Spires offensively.
The Bulldogs return to action Thursday, Jan. 14, against Friends University in Wichita, Kan. Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m.
