McPherson, Kan. – The McPherson College women's basketball team will head into Thanksgiving Break with a 1-9 record after falling to Oklahoma Wesleyan University 68-55 on Tuesday. This is the second time the 'Dogs played OKWU, in the first meeting in Bartlesville, Oklahoma the Lady Eagles protected their home court with a 76-47 win.
In Tuesday's matchup, it went back-and-forth for the first several minutes with both teams staying close to one another until an 11-0 run by Oklahoma Wesleyan put them up 24-13 midway through the half. Mac pulled close a couple times in the final 10 minutes but trailed 35-25 at the break. The Bulldogs hit on 10-of-29 field goals with two from deep while OKWU went 13-of-29 from the floor and 8-of-13 from the stripe; 16 of the Eagles' points came off of MC's 11 turnovers.
The second period started out heavily in favor of Oklahoma Wesleyan but the 'Dogs were never out of it; though they were not able to get their deficit back to single figures, McPherson traded points with the Eagles throughout the half. Despite a couple last-minute surges by the Bulldogs, the final buzzer rang with OKWU walking away with a 68-55 win. Oklahoma Wesleyan made 12 of their 30 shots with four coming from distance. Mac hit on 11-of-34 but were just 1-of-11 from beyond the arc.
At the end of the night, McPherson shot in 33.3% of their field goals, 21-of-63, and 71.4% from the stripe, 10-of-14; the 'Dogs struggled from three-point land, cashing in on a mere 15%, 3-of-20. The team outrebounded Oklahoma Wesleyan 43-40 and also accrued 12 assists, six blocks and four steals. The majority of Mac's points came in the paint as they scored 42.
Three Bulldogs made it into double-digits with Sunny Smart leading the charge with 18; she went 6-of-20 from the floor and 4-of-6 from the foul line. The junior recorded a double-double with her 10 rebounds. Bailey Brown was 6-of-14 from the field and made 3-of-4 free throws for her 16; she had seven rebounds and joined Smart with a team-high three assists. Alicia Demerat scored 11 points for McPherson and added in a pair of blocks. Georgia Smart led the 'Dogs in blocks with four.
After taking a week off, MC begins conference play against Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas on December 4th; tipoff for the varsity game is set for 6:00 p.m. (CT)
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McPherson College is a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference member school and a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
