McPherson, Kan. – The MC women's basketball team ran out of gas down the stretch as they attempted a comeback late in the game against Tabor College. The 67-56 loss moves McPherson to 2-12 on the year and 1-3 in the KCAC.
McPherson jumped in front early on the Bluejays and stayed ahead by a handful for the first eight minutes of the game. TC took the lead with 12:11 on the clock and maintained a slim advantage for the rest of the half; the Lady 'Jays headed into the locker room up 37-34 after a last-second three ball fell through. Both teams scored a good amount of points from the foul stripe as Mac hit on 15-of-19 and Tabor went 9-of-25; the Bulldogs made 8-of-22 field goals while TC converted on 9-of-25 with 6-of-13 threes falling.
In the second, Tabor quickly jumped ahead by 16 as MC struggled to score. The first field goal for the 'Dogs didn't come until there was 9:46 left in the game; by that time, Tabor was up 53-39. McPherson's largest deficit was 17 but the score margin hovered around 12 for the final 10 minutes. TC held off a late charge and won 67-56. Mac saw just 6-of-21 field goals drop and 7-of-11 from the stripe in the final 20 minutes. The 'Jays went 9-of-25 including 5-of-11 threes.
McPherson shot in 14-of-43 for the game with 6-of-19 attempts from deep dropping; they were 22-of-30 from the foul line. The team was outrebounded 42-31 and only accumulated seven offensive boards. The Bulldogs had just 12 turnovers while recording 11 assists, six steals and a pair of blocks. 32 of MC's points came in the paint and just eight were scored by their reserves.
Bailey Brown knocked in 5-of-14 field goals and 12-of-18 free throws for a team-high 23 points; she also had nine rebounds, three steals, and three assists. Callie Atkins also made it into double-digits scoring with her 13 points; the sophomore was 3-of-5 from three and 2-of-3 from inside the arc.
The Lady Bulldogs won't play another game until January 2nd when they travel to Salina, Kansas for the Kansas Wesleyan University Classic; they will face Peru State University at 4:00 p.m. (CT) for their first contest of the tournament
Make sure to follow Bulldog Nation on Facebook (MCathletics) and Twitter (@MAC_Bulldogs)
McPherson College is a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference member school and a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
