Women's Basketball | 12/8/2010 6:36:02 PM
Game 12: McPherson College (2-9, 0-2) vs Bethel College (8-2, 2-0)
Thursday, December 9, 2010 | McPherson, Kan. | McPherson College Sport Center
Game Notes (PDF)
Live Audio
The Matchup
The McPherson College women’s basketball team enters Thursday night looking to snap a four-game winless streak, as the Bulldogs play host to Bethel College. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. inside the McPherson Sport Center. A radio broadcast will be provided by 96.7 FM KBBE MidKansas Radio with an audio stream provided at www.macbulldogs.com.
The Bulldogs (2-9, 0-2) look to right the ship following a 66-68 loss at Ottawa University last Saturday at Wilson Field House. MC battled back from a 10-point halftime deficit, but fell just short due to some late free throws by OU. Junior guard Brooke Weisenburger led the team with 16 points, while freshman forward set a season-high with 13.
Senior guard Kristen Ozbun continues to be the key cog of the MC offensive attack. Ozbun has scored in double figures in 10-of-11 games, including twice tallying 24 points. She leads the team averaging 16.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
Bethel enters the midweek matchup with McPherson riding a six-game win streak, including a pair of home wins against Ottawa University and Friends University to open the KCAC conference season. BC’s last loss came on Nov. 16 against Concordia University, 66-62.
Scouting Bethel
Bethel heads into Thursday night’s game with an 8-2 record after an 83-70 win against Friends University on Dec. 4. The Threshers, own six straight wins, including two defeats of Southwestern Christian University.
Despite losing two All-KCAC award winner, including two-time unanimous all-conference selection Hannah Blackburn, BC is averaging 70.6 points per game, while holding opponents to just 61.7. In addition to the scoring margin, the Threshers are out rebounding opponents 40.5-36.6 and shooting 39.0 percent from the field.
Senior guard Angela Wood leads an experienced starting five with 16.3 points per game, while classmate Holly Anthony averages 7.6 rebounds. Other notables for BC include Jessica Muckenthaler and Rachel Bachman. Muckenthaler averages 12.1 points and 3.9 rebounds, while Bachman owns an average of 11.3 points and 6.7 rebounds.
Mark Fox is in his sixth season at the helm of the Bethel women’s basketball program.
In their last meeting...
North Newton, Kan. – The McPherson College women’s basketball team found themselves within four after the opening 20 minutes, but a 14-2 second half Thresher run proved to be too much for the Bulldogs to recover from, as Bethel defeated McPherson, 64-55, at Thresher Gymnasium Saturday evening.
With the win, Bethel locked up the fourth seed in the KCAC tournament. The Threshers finished the regular season 16-10 overall and 12-6 in league action. McPherson’s third straight loss drops them to 6-20 overall and 3-15 in league play. The Bulldogs will have the No. 10 seed in the KCAC tournament.
Bethel opened the game on a 6-0 run thanks to an Angela Wood and Krishna Phifer three-pointers in the game’s first four minutes, but the Bulldogs answered to tie the game at eight with 11:16 remaining in the half.
McPherson held a four point, 18-14, advantage late in the first half after Kristen Ozbun nailed a three-pointer at the 6:12 mark. However, the Bulldogs would be held without a field goal until under a minute left to allow Bethel to enter the halftime locker room up 25-21.
Shireana Robinson and Brooke Weisenburger scored nine of McPherson’s first 11 points out of the break as the Bulldogs took a five point lead, 32-27 with 15:16 left.
Bethel came back to tie the game at 34 before rattling off a 14-2 run that spanned nearly five minutes of the second half. The streak gave the Threshers a 49-36 advantage with 7:23 left in the game. McPherson would pull within five, 57-52 at the 2:47 mark, but the Threshers proved too strong down the stretch.
McPherson ended the game shooting 35.1 percent from the field, including connecting on 12-of-30 attempts in the second half. McPherson was out-rebounded by the Threshers, 37-47.
Freshman Shireana Robinson was the lone Bulldog in double figures with 13 points and seven rebounds on 6-of-11 shooting from the field. Angela Wood finished with 14 points to lead the Threshers, while Bachman added 12.
The Bulldogs now travel to Ottawa, Kan., for the Play-In round of the KCAC Conference Tournament matchup against Ottawa University. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 22.
