Women's Basketball | 2/3/2012 1:35:00 AM
Box Score Box Score
Leavenworth, Kan. – After a weekend loss, McPherson bounced back to beat Saint Mary in a tough road test 56-53. Two Bulldogs in double digits helped MC keep USM at bay.
The win bumped the Bulldogs record to 13-10 overall, 8-5 in the KCAC and should move them up in the rankings. With the loss, Saint Mary’s record drops to12-13 overall and in conference they’re now 4-9.
Elice Frey (Riley, Kan.) and
Kt Porter (Wichita, Kan.) led the way for the Bulldogs with 12 points apiece. Both Porter and Frey shot 45 percent on 5-of-11 shooting.
Brittany Pittas (Lake in the Hills, Ill.) aided the effort by adding nine points;
Taylor Puttergill (Tryon, Neb.) had eight. Frey also had eight rebounds and three blocks. This brings up her total to 46 blocks on the year.
This was a back and forth affair, with neither team taking total control and the largest lead being nine. McPherson took an early lead thanks to a 17-5 run but Saint Mary fought back to tie it up at 27 with minutes to go in the half. In the second period, there were seven lead changes with the last change coming with just over a minute to go, giving the Bulldogs the final lead of the game.
MC was down six at the break but held the Spires to a field goal percentage of 14 (4-of-29) in the second to pull out the victory. There was a strong effort put forth by the defense of McPherson as they forced 18 turnovers on 10 steals. The defense also forced USM to go 0-4 from beyond the arc in the second half after they shot 60 percent in the first. Saint Mary ended the game with a 31.5 field goal shooting percentage, converting on just 17-of-54.
As a team McPherson shot just under 37 percent (21-of-57) from the field, including a 36.4 percentage (4-of-11) from 3-point range.
A strong double-double effort by USM forward Jasmine Johnson, 11 points and 10 rebounds, wasn’t enough as the tough defense of the Lady Bulldogs held off the Spires. Saint Mary had two other players in double digit scoring. Kendra Mattox and Adelyn Ezeh each had 10.
The victory will give McPherson some much needed momentum as they head into this weekend’s matchup against Southwestern College. The top-ranked Builders come into the game having lost to Friends at home on Thursday. Tipoff for that home matchup is scheduled for Saturday at 5 p.m. at the McPherson College Sport Center.
