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McPherson, Kan. – Saturday brings about the last game of 2014 for the McPherson College women's basketball team. The Lady Bulldogs will take on Tabor College at 5:00 p.m. (CT) on the 13th in the Sport Center.
Mac heads into Saturday's contest looking to improve on their 40-point showing from Thursday's game; the 'Dogs lost 76-40 to Kansas Wesleyan. In their bout with the Coyotes, KWU took a quick 15-2 lead. McPherson had a tough time scoring and didn't hit the 10-point mark until there were less than three minutes left in the half; they trailed 30-18 heading into their locker room. The Bulldogs made 7-of-29 from the floor with just 1-of-12 going in from behind the arc.
The second half was again all Kansas Wesleyan. The score margin stayed above 20 points for all but the first five minutes of the period; the largest lead for KWU was 37 and the team went on to win 76-40. Mac made 7-of-24 in the second 20 minutes but again just one from deep. The Coyotes went 15-of-30 from the floor and made 50% of their 12 threes.
Mac scored on 14-of-53 field goals in the 40-minute contest; they went 2-of-21 from deep and 10-of-17 from the charity stripe. 33 rebounds were totaled by McPherson with 10 coming on the offensive end of the court. The 'Dogs turned the ball over 24 times while tabulating 12 assists, 10 steals and four blocks. 28 of their points were scored in the paint and 16 came from their bench players.
Alicia Demaret was the lone Bulldog to hit double-digits with her 14 points; she went 6-of-10 from the floor and 2-of-3 from the foul line. Bailey Brown counted nine points and also brought in six rebounds. Georgia Smart led the team in rebounds with nine, five of which were offensive boards.
Ranked Lady Bulldogs: MC is sixth in the NAIA D-II in total rebounds with 571 and sit 15th in defensive three-point field goal percentage at 25.3%. Sunny Smart is still sixth in three-point makes with 36. Bailey Brown slid up to eighth in the Nation in total scoring with her 217 points.
After the holiday break, McPherson will take on Peru State and York College in the Kansas Wesleyan University Classic on January 2nd and 3rd; tipoff for the matchup with Peru is set for 4:00 p.m.
Scouting Tabor
The Lady Bluejays, who won the KCAC tournament last season, sit at 6-7 on the year and are 2-1 in the KCAC with wins over then-No. 17 Southwestern College and, in their most recent game, the University of Saint Mary.
It wasn't the blowout everybody expected between the 'Jays and USM. TC took the early lead but the Lady Spires fought back and took control midway through the half; the Saint Mary lead peaked at eight points and the team took a 34-31 lead into halftime. USM hit on 14-of-26 in the first half while TC shot in a solid 14-of-28.
In the second half, Tabor quickly regained the lead and pushed it to eight. Saint Mary hung around and, after trailing by 12, got the gap to four but by then it was too late as TC held on for the 70-62 victory; the Bluejays made 7-of-8 free throws in the final minute.
Tabor shot in 25-of-54 in the contest and saw 5-of-21 three balls go in; 15-of-21 free throws were counted by the Bluejays. The team outrebounded USM 43-24 and grabbed 16 offensive boards. TC also tallied 16 turnovers, 11 assists, 10 steals, and a pair of blocks.
Kaleigh Troxell scored a team-high 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting including four free throws. Both Mallory Zuercher and Sam Short each tabbed 13 points but got there in different ways; Zuercher hit on 6-of-11 field goals including a three ball while Short was 3-of-4 from the floor and 7-of-8 from the stripe. Kayla Wilgers totaled nine points and a team-high nine points.
This year, TC scores an average of 63.7 points a night while shooting in 38.6% from the floor including 34.8 from behind the arc; they convert on 70.3 percent of their free throws. The team is rebounding 32.4 balls a contest and also net 15 turnovers, 11 assists, eight steals and two blocks each time they touch the court. They are seventh in the NAIA in total three-point buckets with 101; they make 7.7 per game.
Wilgers leads the team in scoring with her 11.0 average; she has made a team-high 49 field goals and 33 three balls; she has also amassed a team-high 38 assists and 27 steals. Tonisha Dean sits second on the team in scoring at 10.1; she has started each one of the team's contests and leads the Bluejays in free throws made with 43. Both Troxell and Zuercher total over nine points per game.
The game with McPherson is Tabor's last of 2014; the team takes on Benedictine University on January 2nd for their next contest.
