Lindsborg, Kan. – It has been nearly a month since the Lady Bulldog basketball team tasted victory. On Thursday night Mac took down Bethany College 74-68 in Lindsborg. MC is now 2-9 on the year and one of just five KCAC teams that are undefeated in the conference.
The Lady Swedes started the game with a 9-2 run and stayed out in front of McPherson for the first nine minutes of the opening half. The 'Dogs tied it up midway through the period but Bethany surged forward again and took a 33-30 lead into the break. MC shot in 11-of-25 but had 16 turnovers in the first 20 minutes. Bethany scored on 12-of-34 including a mere 2-of-15 from distance.
In the second period, it was the Bulldogs who came out strong and they took the lead from BC. The two teams went back-and-forth with neither team getting ahead by more than a couple buckets. Down the stretch, it was free throws that sealed the deal for Mac as they hit on their final five foul shots, helping them preserve their 74-68 victory. MC counted 13 of their 30 shots which include making 5-of-12 from beyond the arc. The Swedes went 12-of-32 from the floor and 7-of-13 from the foul line.
The 'Dogs knocked down 24-of-55 from the field including 7-of-19 from distance; 19-of-24 attempts from the charity stripe fell through. The team out-boarded Bethany 50-32 with the majority coming off the defensive glass. Mac also tabbed 24 turnovers, 18 assists but just two steals. It was a foul-happy game as three of McPherson's starting five ended the night with four fouls.
Bailey Brown scored a game-high 21 points as she made 6-of-10 field goals and 8-of-11 free throws; she also had nine rebounds. Sunny Smart connected on 4-of-11 threes, 1-of-1 twos, and 2-of-2 foul shots for her 16 points; the junior also had three rebounds and four assists. Freshman Alicia Demerat was a beast on the boards for the Bulldogs as she hauled in 17, 14 of which were defensive rebounds; the forward also scored on 4-of-7 from the floor and 2-of-2 from the stripe for 10 points.
McPherson will face Bethel College on December 6th at 5:00 p.m. (CT) for their second conference game of 2014-15; the junior varsity will play the Threshers at 1:00.
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McPherson College is a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference member school and a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
