Women's Basketball | 2/19/2013 10:51:00 AM
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McPherson, Kan. – McPherson women’s basketball is hoping that the third time is the charm for them against Southwestern as they travel to No. 3 SWC for the opening round of the KCAC Postseason Tournament; Mac has already lost twice to the Moundbuilders this year. Tipoff for the February 22nd competition is set for 7:00 p.m. (CT)
Due to schedule conflicts, KBBE 96.7 FM won’t be covering the game as they will be handling the McPherson High School contest. The Moundbuilder Sports Network will be providing a radio broadcast that you can listen to live via links on Macbulldogs.com. You can also watch the game via ihigh.com/macbulldogs. All links to live game statistics, audio or video can be found at Macbulldogs.com
The Lady Bulldogs are in the middle of a four-game losing streak after a couple big letdowns in their previous two matchups. Last Thursday MC let an eight-point lead slip through their fingers in the final two minute of regulation against Sterling College, losing in overtime. On Saturday, the ‘Dogs lost for the second time of the year to the Bethel College Threshers.
In the first half against BC, the Lady Threshers led from the start, scoring the first bucket and not relinquishing their lead for the final 39 minutes. McPherson kept things interesting in the first half, not letting their deficit extend to double-digits but they had a difficult time putting points on the scoreboard; free throws were Mac’s main source of scoring as they made 10-of-14. The two squads headed into the locker room with the visitors up 34-27.
The Bulldogs stormed out of the gate in the second period, pulling within a basket in less than three minutes but 11-straight points by Bethel quickly put MC back on their heels. The Lady Threshers stayed on top by 10+ for all but one possession in the game’s final half. BC jumped ahead by 20 with four minutes left in the contest and recorded a 22-point victory as the clock hit zero, winning 79-57.
After having two consecutive 8-of-29 halves, the Lady Bulldogs ended the contest with a 27.6 field goal percentage; they made 22-of-34 from the stripe and saw 3-of-20 fall through from deep. Two solid periods of shooting gave BC a 27-of-57 night; they nailed 5-of-20 from behind the arc and 20-of-27 from the free throw line. BC closed out the game with 42 rebounds, grabbing 12 on the offensive end; Mac totaled 31 with eight offensive boards. Bethel turned the ball over 23 times with McPherson getting 12 steals; the Threshers dished out 17 assists in their win while MC had 13. 35 of the Lady Bulldogs’ points came from their bench players.
Senior Tayler Puttergill was the lone Mac player to make it over the 10-point hump with her 11 points; she made 3-of-14 from the floor and 4-of-6 from the stripe. Puttergill also pulled down seven rebounds to lead the team. Cami Engelbert entered the game from the bench and scored nine, putting her second on the team in scoring. Madison Chambers was the Bulldog leader in assists with four; she also had five rebounds and three points.
The winner of the MC vs. Southwestern contest will take on the champion of the No. 2 Tabor College vs. No. 7 Ottawa University matchup. That game will be played at the site of the higher seed on February 23rd at 7:00 p.m. (CT)
Scouting Southwestern
While the Lady Bulldogs are sliding, the Lady Builders are climbing as they’ve put together seven-straight victories over the past three weeks. Southwestern was sitting firmly atop the KCAC a month ago but back-to-back road losses brought them down to the third place ranking. Much like SWC, the two teams ahead of the Moundbuilders continued to win, thus giving the Builders the No. 3 seed.
Southwestern’s most recent win was a 86-54 romping of the University of Saint Mary Spires on Saturday. The Moundbuilders were still feeling good from their hot-shooting performance from deep at Bethel on Thursday, continuing the trend against USM, making 15-of-29 three balls; they were 13-of-31 from the rest of the field and converted 15-of-28 from the stripe. The Lady Spires cashed in on 19-of-50 from the floor with five three pointers; they also nailed 11-of-16 from the foul line. SWC felt the absence of their freshman post player as they allowed 11 offensive rebounds and 39 total while only grabbing 29 boards themselves which was their second lowest of the year. The Lady Builders forced 27 USM turnovers, stealing 15, and also tallied 19 assists.
Both Hobbs sisters hit three from downtown and Jessica Hobbs led Southwestern in points with 17; she made 7-of-12 from the floor. Jordan Hobbs and Zefiryn Bryan each tallied 12 points; Bryan went 4-of-12 from the field and 3-of-8 from the stripe. Annjelina Robinson scored 11 points on 3-of-3 from downtown and 2-of-4 from the free throw line. Both Bryan and Trinicia Shaffer grabbed six rebounds to lead the team.
SWC is the KCAC leader in quite a few categories this season as they are a very high scoring squad; they average 73.6 points per game, regularly defeating their opponent by over 11. Their 40.7 field goal percentage is the tops of the conference as is their 32.5 three point percentage and 6.8 threes made each time out. They typically grab over 40 rebounds a game, leading the league. Their 14.4 assist a contest is the highest in the KCAC; they also average 15.2 turnovers and 9.3 steals every time they touch the court.
Jana Reichenberger, despite not playing in the last few games, is the team leader in points per game with 11.67; she has hit 107 field goals this year and has grabbed the most rebounds each outing for SWC with 6.8. Bryan is scoring 11.1 a contest, making 41.9 percent from the field; she is the squad’s leader with her 85 free throws and also records 6.1 boards a game. Kaitlin Tennyson and Je. Hobbs are the Builders’ three-point shooters as they’ve made 40 and 38 for the year, respectively. Trinicia Shaffer leads the team in total assists and steals with 115 and 63.
Despite being ranked to start the season and staying in the polls for most of the year, Southwestern will have to win the conference tournament to make it to the National tourney.
