Women's Basketball | 1/26/2011 9:10:03 AM
Game 21: McPherson College (4-16, 2-8 KCAC) vs Ottawa University (7-13, 4-6 KCAC)
Thursday, January 27, 2011 | 6:00 p.m. | McPherson Sport Center | McPherson, Kan.
Game Notes (PDF)
The Matchup
Following a tough, 50-66, loss at No. 7 Kansas Wesleyan University over the weekend, the McPherson College women’s basketball team returns home for their second meeting with Ottawa University this Thursday, Jan. 27.
Tipoff between the Bulldogs and Braves is slated for 6:00 p.m. inside the McPherson Sport Center. Due to a programming conflict, there will be no radio broadcast of the event.
The Bulldogs (4-16, 2-8 KCAC) enter the matchup riding a two game winless streak, including losses against No. 15 Sterling College and No. 7 Kansas Wesleyan University. Despite the unfortunate conclusions, McPherson hung tough against both opponents and was within single digits with less than seven minutes remaining in both games.
Against the nationally ranked Coyotes, the Bulldogs shot a season-best 46.0 percent (23-of-50) from the field, but turned the ball over 20 times leading to 25 KWU points. MC was also outscored, 21-6, from beyond the three-point arc.
Despite the loss, senior guard Kristen Ozbun made history, as she moved into third place on the all-time scoring list with 1,160 points. She recorded 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting to surpass former Bulldog April Woody. Ozbun has played in a team-high 98 games and has made 71 consecutive starts.
McPherson will need another strong offensive performance to pick up a much needed home win against Ottawa University. With a win Thursday, McPherson could potentially open a two game gap between them and ninth place University of Saint Mary.
Ottawa (7-13, 4-6 KCAC) looks to snap a four game losing streak following a 79-71 loss against Bethel College Saturday night. OU led the Threshers at the break, but were outscored 48-36 in the second period en route to the eight-point loss. Junior forward Paige Gibson came off the bench to score a team-high 14 points, including four three-pointers.
After Ottawa, McPherson will hit the road to play Bethel College on Saturday night. In their first meeting, MC knocked off the Threshers, 93-85, in an overtime thriller. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. at Thresher Gymnasium.
Scouting Ottawa
Following a mid-season surge that saw the Ottawa women’s basketball team win four of five, the Braves have lost their last four, including a 79-71 defeat at Bethel College last weekend. OU’s streak began with an 83-38 thrashing by nationally ranked Sterling College.
Against Bethel, Ottawa was outscored 48-36 in the second half en route to the eight-point defeat. The Braves shot a respectable 44.4 percent (24-of-54) from the field, but turned the ball over 27 times in the loss. Bethel finished the contest shooting 46.3 (25-of-54) from the field, including a 10-of-19 (52.6 percent) effort from three-point range. Junior forward Paige Gibson came off the bench to lead OU with 14 points.
Senior guard Maggie Hasenkamp continues to pace the Ottawa offensive attack, averaging 11.7 points per game to rank eighth in the KCAC. Much of Hasenkamp’s offense has come from beyond the arc, as she ranks fourth nationally with 63 total three-point baskets and is shooting 37.1 percent from three-point range. In OU’s earlier matchup with the Bulldogs, she came off the bench to lead the team with 18 points.
Despite OU’s team struggles, Gibson has stepped up her game over the last three, averaging 13.0 points, including a 15-point effort against Kansas Wesleyan on January 15. She, much like Hasenkamp, is a three-point threat for OU with 38 three-pointers on the season.
As a team, Ottawa biggest issue on the year has been turnovers. The Braves average 24.1 turnovers per contest and rank last in the KCAC in turnover margin (-5.6).
In their first meeting, OU edged McPherson 68-66.
The Braves are coached by Bruce Tate.
In their last meeting...
Ottawa, Kan. – The McPherson College women’s basketball team outscored Ottawa University 40-32 in the second half, but it was not enough to overcome a slow start as the Bulldogs fell to the Braves, 68-66 Saturday evening at Wilson Field House.
The loss drops McPherson to 2-9 overall and 0-2 in KCAC action, while the Braves improve to 3-7 overall and 1-1 in league play.
Guard Brooke Weisenburger (Gardner, Kan.) tallied a near season-best with 16 points on 6-of-14 shooting to lead McPherson, while freshman forward Tori Verdieck (New Castle, Colo.) set a career-high with 13 points and Elice Frey (Riley, Kan.) added 10. Kristen Ozbun (Rose Hill, Kan.) continues her run through the record book, as the Rose Hill, Kan. native tallied eight points to move herself into fifth place on the all-time scorers list with 1,042 career points. She is just the six Bulldogs in program history to record more than 1,000 points in a career.
The Bulldogs tallied just nine field goals in the first half, but only faced a 10-point halftime deficit, 36-26.
In the second half, McPherson opened the period with a 9-2 run capped by a Weisenburger three-point basket to cut the deficit to 38-35 with 16:27 remaining. A pair of OU treys extended the Brave lead back to nine, but the Bulldogs answered and eventually took the lead 47-46 with a little more than 12 minutes left.
OU built a four-point lead on a Maggie Hasenkamp three-pointer with 1:28 left in the game. The two sides would trade turnovers before Frey found herself at the free throw line with an opportunity to put the game within two. Frey would convert both free throws and a Paige Gibson turnover would give the Bulldogs a chance to win or tie with 30 seconds left on the clock. However, MC’s attempt would fall short as Ottawa picked up the two-point win, 68-66.
The Braves were led in scoring by Hasenkamp’s 18 points.
The Bulldogs return to action Thursday night when they play host to Bethel College. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m
