Women's Basketball | 1/16/2014 8:51:00 PM

Box Score

Ottawa, Kan. – 12 points on 3-of-28 shooting after 20 minutes of play created far too big a hole for the Lady Bulldogs to climb out of on Thursday as they lost a 62-44 contest to Ottawa University.  McPherson is 7-12 on the year and 3-4 in the KCAC; they've now lost six in a row.
 
Mac got down 6-0 early and following their first basket at the 16-minute mark, went nearly eight minutes without putting in another; by that time, they trailed 18-5.  The Bulldog defense was doing its part, holding Ottawa to just 27 first half points but shots just weren't falling on the other end for MC.  At the break, the Lady 'Dogs were behind 15 at 27-12.
 
Just 10.7% of McPherson's field goals went in during the opening period with a 0-of-6 showing from behind the arc; fortunately the Bulldogs made their way to the stripe for eight attempts, cashing in on six.  OU fared slightly better, hitting 8-of-23 but knocked down just 3-of-12 from behind the arc as MC was content with them shooting from range; the Lady Braves went 8-of-13 from the charity stripe.
 
The second half was much more promising for Mac as they stayed stride for stride with Ottawa.  The 'Dogs never seemed able to put baskets and stops together to break into their deficit; the closest they could get was 18 which happened on a number of occasions.  OU  led by as many as 28 but their lead hovered around the 20-point mark most of the final period; after 40 minutes of play, the Braves walked away with a 62-44 home victory.
 
Although McPherson shot in just 9-of-33, the 27.3 shooting percentage was a drastic increase from their first half performance; 3-of-12 from deep fell through and they continued hitting their foul shots, making 11-of-13.  Ottawa took just 22 shots in the second period, making nine for a 40.2 field goal percentage; they saw 2-of-10 from distance and 15-of-17 from the line go in.
 
In a stat line that was heavily affected by a miserable first half, the Bulldogs counted 12-of-61 from the field, 19.7 percent; they converted 3-of-18 from beyond the arc and an impressive 17-of-21 from the free throw line.  The squad outrebounded OU 43-42, grabbing 17 offensive boards.  They also tabbed 21 turnovers, eight assists, nine steals and a pair of blocks.
 
Sunny Smart (Coffeeville, Okla.) entered the game from the bench and scored a team-high nine points, making 3-of-11 from the field with one coming from long range; she also scored on a perfect 2-of-2 from the stripe and grabbed five rebounds.  Aubrey Barton (Pratt, Kan.) and Bailey Brown (Glen Elder, Kan.) each netted eight points; Barton made 3-of-6 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free throw line while all eight of Brown's points came from the charity stripe, 8-of-10.  Cami Engelbert (Beloit, Kan.) didn't score on the night, 0-of-8, but pulled in a team leading nine rebounds, as did her high school teammate Brown.  Whitney Jefferson (Katy, Texas) dished out a team-high four assists to go with her four points and two rebounds.
 
McPherson's next opponent will be Bethany College who they face on January 18^th; the 5:00 p.m. (CT) contest is to be held in Lindsborg, Kansas.
 
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