Women's Basketball | 11/13/2013 2:40:00 PM
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McPherson, Kan. – After winning their first game of the season, Lady Bulldog basketball has lost four-straight with their most recent defeats coming in Texas during the two-game Southwestern Assemblies of God Classic. This weekend, the team travels in the opposite direction as they play the York College Panthers in York, Nebraska; tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m. (CT) on November 15
th.
In the opener of the classic against the NAIA Division-I Lady Lions, MC was out in front for the majority of the first period, leading by as many as seven. SAGU bided their time and jumped over the Bulldogs with under two minutes left in the half. The score was equal a few possessions later which is how the first 20 minutes was ended, a 22-22 tie. McPherson hit on a low 25.9% of their attempts while the Lions made just 23.3 percent.
The second half was again controlled by Mac through the opening minutes but the 'Dogs couldn't get ahead by more than five, allowing SAGU another chance to pounce. The Lady Lions did just that with 7:21 left and never looked back as they maintained the advantage for the remainder of the contest. McPherson kept fighting and pulled within one after being down eight but couldn't make it over the hump as a pair of late turnovers sealed the deal for SAGU 48-46. The shooting percentages went up for both squads in the second half as MC hit 8-of-22 with three from deep; the Lions made 9-of-28 including 4-of-11 from behind the arc.
The Lady 'Dogs shot 30.6% for the night, seeing 15-of-49 go through the hoop, five being three balls; they converted on 11-of-16 from the stripe for a 68.8 percentage. Mac outboarded SWAG 44-37 and claimed 12 offensive rebounds. They had 21 turnovers with eight assists and eight steals.
Cami Engelbert hit double figures for the first time this season, making 5-of-11 from the floor; she also logged six rebounds. Aubrey Barton made just 2-of-11 field goals but was able to drain 5-of-6 foul shots for nine points and led the way in rebounds with 10. Bailey Brown and Sunny Smart also had nine points for the night; Brown made two threes, a two pointer and free throw while Smart was 3-of-6 from long range.
On the second day of the SAGU Classic, Mac gave up the first basket to Texas Wesleyan and never was able to take the lead after that. The Rams led by as many as seven in the first half, allow McPherson the opportunity to close the gap but the 'Dogs weren't able to take advantage; TWU went into the locker room with a 39-32 lead. MC had a good showing in terms of shooting in the first period, making 11-of-26 with 3-of-8 going in from downtown; they were only 7-of-14 from the stripe however. Texas Wesleyan converted on 41.7% of their shots and made a perfect 5-of-5 from the foul line.
The Lady Rams kept their lead around the double-digit margin for most of the final 20, never allowing McPherson closer than six. Thwarting any last-second attempts from Mac, TWU closed out the game on a 10-4 run, winning 66-54. Just 6-of-21 balls went through the hoop for the Lady Bulldogs with just one being a three ball; on a positive note, they converted on 9-of-10 free throws. Texas Wesleyan made zero of their three-point attempts, were 10-of-34 from the field and cashed in on 7-of-14 from the line.
McPherson netted a 36.2 shooting percentage for the game and made 4-of-15 from long range; the 'Dogs bucketed 16-of-24 from the line. Mac outrebounded the Rams by two at 43-41 and tallied 11 offensive boards. 27 turnovers did not help the cause for MC but they were able to steal 10 back from NWU.
Entering the game from the bench, Smart tallied a team-high 12 points on 2-of-9 shooting with 7-of-8 going in from the free throw line. Recording her first double-double of the season, Brown led the team in boards with 10 and added 3-of-8 from the field and 3-of-5 from the stripe for 10 points as well. Fellow Beloit High School alum Engelbert was next on the team in scoring with nine.
A home competition against their south-side rivals will be the next game for Mac after they play York. Start time for the November 19th contest with Central Christian College is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. in the Sport Center of McPherson College. Junior varsity will play prior to varsity at 2:00.
Scouting York
The Panthers are 1-1 on the year, although they've also played a pair of NCAA Division-II schools in Southern Nazarene and Oklahoma Christian since their last counted contest. The sole win was a lopsided 105-44 win over Grace Christian College, a National Christian College Athletic Association institution, which they played over two weeks ago. York's one counted loss came at the hands of Dordt College of Iowa 80-50.
Although they are returning seven from their last year's squad, including their second leading scorer, YC brought in extra reinforcements over the offseason as half of the team is new to the program; the Panthers do start three players that were on the squad last season in Marisa Maher, Alyssa Becker and Taylor Runyan.
In 2012-13, York ended the year with a 5-25 record with wins coming against Bethel College, Central Christian College, Central Baptist and Haskell Indian Nations. Mac and the Lady Panthers squared off a couple of times with McPherson coming out the victor 90-67 and 77-67.
