Women's Basketball | 12/5/2013 10:31:00 PM
Box Score
McPherson, Kan. – The women's basketball team at McPherson College started the KCAC season with a victory as they took out Bethel College 70-46 in the Sport Center. Mac is now 5-6 for the season and 1-0 against conference opponents.
It was a slow start for both teams as the first point wasn't scored until three minutes had passed and the first field goal came after four. The Lady 'Dogs were on top briefly but then Bethel found their traction and stormed back to take the lead which they increased to double-digits. After being 12 down, MC called a timeout to settle down; following the TO, the Bulldogs put together a 26-9 run to end the first half and headed into the locker room up 33-28.
Thanks to their hot-streak in the final minutes, McPherson saved their field goal percentage, pushing it to 37.9% after hitting 11-of-29; they made 3-of-12 from long range and 8-of-14 from the charity stripe. The Lady Threshers connected on just 9-of-29 including four from downtown; the squad converted on 50% of their 12 free throw attempts. The 'Dogs were led in scoring by Sunny Smart (Coffeeville, Okla.) who bucketed 10 points in the opening minutes.
The second period started with a back-and-forth style of play with very little scoring and lots of missed shots. MC bumped their lead to double-digits by the midway point and didn't look back as they lead by 10+ for the rest of the way. The Bulldogs made it a 20-point advantage with just a couple to play and closed out the game with a gratifying 70-46 triumph. Following that timeout they called in the first half, McPherson outscored BC 63-27.
In the final half of play, MC drained 11-of-22 from the floor and 14-of-16 from the foul line. Bethel made fewer shots than they did in the first period but took five more attempts for a 23.5 field goal percentage; they went 2-of-9 from deep and missed both free throw attempts.
After their solid shooting performance in the second 20 minutes, the 'Dogs ended the contest making 43.1 percent of their attempts from the field; they went 4-of-18 from beyond the arc and cashed in on 22 of their 30 from the stripe. MC out boarded Bethel by 10, grabbing 46 rebounds with 12 off the offensive glass. They netted 11 assists, six steals and three blocks while turning the ball over 16 times. Mac could have defeated the Threshers with just their points in the paint as they recorded 51.
Aubrey Barton (Pratt, Kan.) came alive in the second half, scoring 14 and ending the game with a game-high 19 points on 5-of-9 shooting with 9-of-11 free throws falling; she also tallied six rebounds. Smart closed out the contest with 15 points and a team-high 13 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. Bailey Brown (Glen Elder, Kan.) added 13 points and six rebounds for Mac while Cami Engelbert (Beloit, Kan.) scored 11 and also grabbed six boards. Every player that touched the court for McPherson scored in their lop-sided win.
The Bulldogs now look to keep the momentum rolling as they travel to the University of Saint Mary on Saturday, December 7 for a 3:00 p.m. (CT) showdown with the Spires; USM is coming off a 76-68 loss to Southwestern College.
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