Women's Basketball | 12/29/2012 4:53:00 PM
Box Score
Baldwin City, Kan. – It took 45 minutes of game time for a team to come out on top in the McPherson College vs. Baker University game on Saturday; the Lady ‘Dogs ended the game in front 81-75, pushing their record to 7-6 for the season. Combining this season and last season, Mac finishes the year of 2012 with a 14-15 overall record.
Both teams looked like they had just taken a break from basketball for the first part of the opening period as the score stayed in single-digits for nearly the first five minutes; Baker was the first team to hit double figures, leading 10-5 at that point. McPherson clawed their way back using a 12-3 run to put them up 17-13. The two squads traded baskets for the next few minutes with MC maintaining control and leading by as many as 10 points; the Lady Bulldog headed into the visitor’s locker room leading 35-29.
A 48.4 shooting percentage helped Mac keep their lead in the game’s first 20 minutes; the team struggled from the free throw line, however, as they only made 2-of-8. McPherson’s bench scored 19 of the team’s first half points. Baker struggled from distance, hitting just 1-of-6 and was 10-of-27 from the rest of the field.
In the second half, the game got a little more intense with the score staying within a few baskets. McPherson stayed out in front for the first five minutes but that’s when BU came alive and took control for the first time since the opening minutes of the game. The Lady Wildcats got up by as many as seven but never were able to pull away, leaving the window open for MC to stay around. Mac took advantage of that opportunity and took the lead back with 2:14 showing on the clock. A back-and-forth final two minutes would ensue and in the end, the team’s decided that an overtime period was needed to determine a winner.
OT was about as dramatic as they come as the pressure for a win was high for both squads. BU came out and scored the first two points but a 9-2 Bulldog run put MC up 77-70 with 43 seconds remaining. The Lady Wildcats were able to pull within four but McPherson finally hit their free throws, going 11-of-12 in overtime, which sealed their 81-75 victory.
MC ended the game draining 28-of-69 from the field for a 40.58 shooting percentage; they were just 4-of-18 from behind the arc and, thanks to an impressive job at the charity stripe in overtime, finished 21-of-32 from the free throw stripe. Baker shot the ball one more time than McPherson but hit the same number of shots, making 40% of their attempts from the floor; they went 12-of-17 from the stripe and 7-of-22 from downtown. The Bulldogs were heavily outrebounded, losing the battle on the boards 61-35, giving up 24 offensive rebounds to BU. Mac’s defensive pressure forced 30 Wildcat turnovers; McPherson only gave up the ball 11 times themselves.
Ali Brewster (Milton, Kan.) and
Madison Chambers (Wellsville, Kan.) each accumulated 15 points in the win; Brewster did it on 5-of-11 from the field and 4-of-7 from the free throw line while Chambers hit 6-of-15 field goals and 3-of-6 attempts from the stripe.
Cheyenne Eisenhour (Stafford, Kan.) scored 13 by hitting 50% of her eight field goals and 5-of-6 free throws. In her first game back,
Tayler Puttergill (Tryon, Neb.) scored nine first half points and ended the contest with 11 on 5-of-11 shooting.
Kaylee Cramer (Dighton, Kan.) was the final Bulldog in double figures, scoring 10.
Rashida Simpson led the way in scoring for Baker, making 10-of-17 from the field and 3-of-5 from the charity stripe; she brought down 15 rebounds, leading the team in that category as well. Following Simpson was BriAnna Garza who put in 6-of-17 field goals and 5-of-5 free throws for her 20 points. Kyrstie Ehm scored 11 for BU in the loss.
McPherson gets a couple days rest before they head to York, Nebraska for their final non-conference game of the 2012-13 season. The competition is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. (CT) on the first day of the New Year, January 1
st.
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