Women's Basketball | 11/23/2013 11:49:00 PM
Box Score
McPherson, Kan. – For the third time this week, Lady Bulldog basketball got a W; on Saturday it came in an impressive 80-64 triumph over Northern New Mexico College in the final game of the 2013 McPherson College Women's Basketball Classic.
MC started the game very strong, blazing out to an 11-3 lead. Though they controlled the pace of the contest, the Lady 'Dogs were never able to push their advantage to double figures, leaving the opportunity for NNMC to pounce. The Lady Eagles put together an 8-1 run but could only get as close as one before Mac scored six of the final seven points of the half, going into the locker room ahead 31-24.
The Bulldogs made just 3-of-18 from two-point land but fortunately nailed 5-of-9 three pointers, giving them a 29.6 field goal percentage; they could have had a larger lead at the break if they would have done better than 10-of-20 from the free throw line. Northern New Mexico had their own scoring issues as the hit 7-of-28 with four coming from range; they bucketed 6-of-7 from the charity stripe.
In the second period, the 'Dogs came out on fire, increasing their lead to 21 with an 18-4 run to start the half; eight of their first 12 shots fell in the McPherson surge. MC thought they had the game in the bag but the Eagles were a resilient bunch and were able to get their deficit down to seven a few minutes later. The Bulldogs responded and quickly regained their composure, going back up by double-digits with under five to play. Mac stayed in front by 10+ for the final three minutes, giving them a third-straight win.
MC did a very nice job of scoring in the paint in the second half which upped their shooting percentage to 55.56 for the final 20 minutes; they cashed in on 50% of their six three balls and converted on 14-of-19 from the line. NNMC saw 11-of-30 field goals and 11-of-13 free throws fall.
The Lady 'Dogs ended the night with a respectable 42.9 field goal percentage, making 24-of-56. They went 8-of-15 from beyond the arc and 24-of-39 from the stripe. Mac pulled in 51 rebounds, 20 more than Northern New Mexico; 17 of MC's boards were on the offensive side of the ball. 19 assists and 19 turnovers were netted by the Bulldogs, as were 10 steals.
Topping the scoring chart for McPherson were
Cami Engelbert (Beloit, Kan.) and
Sunny Smart (Coffeeville, Okla.) as both scored 14; Smart drained 4-of-10 from the field with 3-of-6 falling from deep and 3-of-4 from the foul line while Engelbert recorded a team-high 10 rebounds.
Bre Gillespie (Little River, Kan.) also logged 10 boards and scored 13 points for her first double-double of the season; she was 5-of-7 from the floor and 2-of-4 from the stripe.
Aubrey Barton (Pratt, Kan.) rounded out the double figure scorers with her 13, seven of which were free throws.
A short break and long trip now awaits MC as the 'Dogs travel to Olathe, Kansas to play MidAmerica Nazarene University on November 26
th; start time is 5:00 p.m. (CT)
Make sure to follow Bulldog Nation on
Facebook (MCathletics) and
Twitter (@MAC_Bulldogs)
