Women's Basketball | 2/13/2014 11:56:00 PM
Box Score
Salina, Kan. – The shots weren't falling and the passes weren't hitting their targets for the McPherson College women's basketball team on Thursday as they fell to Kansas Wesleyan 57-36 in Salina. MC moves to 8-19 on the year and 4-of-11 against KCAC institutions.
It was a low-scoring first 20 minutes as the Lady 'Dogs threw the ball away numerous times, 12 turnovers, and Kansas Wesleyan put up multiple rushed three-point attempts, ending the half shooting in 4-of-16. The Coyotes took the lead early as they hit back-to-back three balls to open up the period. Mac never trailed by double-digits but did not hold a lead for the entire first half and went into the locker room down 24-16.
MC bucketed only 5-of-13 from the floor with three of those coming from beyond the arc; they went 3-of-4 from the free throw line. The Lady 'Yotes were 7-of-27 overall with 4-of-16 going through from distance; the team was 6-of-8 from the charity stripe. Aubrey Barton (Pratt, Kan.) was responsible for half of the Bulldogs' points, scoring on 3-of-4 field goals with a pair of three balls.
In the second half, the Bulldogs twice got it within a basket before the 10-minute mark but failed to overtake KWU. The Lady Coyotes' lead reached double figures after an 8-0 surge near the midway point of the half; MC had one more push left but 13-straight points by Kansas Wesleyan all but put the game away. The 'Yotes took the contest 57-36, giving Mac their second-worst scoring total of the year.
McPherson made one more field goal in the second than they did in the opening period but put up 10 more shots for a 6-of-23 half; only 1-of-10 from downtown dropped but the team was able to knock down 7-of-9 from the stripe. KWU upped their field goal percentage as they scored on 11-of-24 with 4-of-10 three-point tries going in; they netted 7-of-10 from the foul line.
MC went 11-of-36 on the night, dropping in 4-of-17 from range; 10 of their 13 free throws found the bottom of the net. The squad pulled down 30 rebounds, one less than Kansas Wesleyan. Mac also tabulated a whopping 25 turnovers, five assists, five blocks, and five steals. The Lady Bulldogs scored 15 bench points with Callie Atkins (Stillwater, Okla.) being responsible for 13.
Barton ended the game with 14 points, scoring on 5-of-10 from the floor and 2-of-2 from the stripe; she also tallied a team-high nine rebounds and three blocks. Atkins went 4-of-11 from the field; she sunk all three of her foul shots which all came as she capped off a five-point play (getting fouled on a made layup, hitting a pair of technical free throws, and the and-one attempt). The next highest point total was three which was tabbed by two different 'Dogs.
Mac is at home for their next couple of games as they host Ottawa University this Saturday, February 15 and Bethany College next Thursday for Senior Night.
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