Women's Basketball | 2/15/2014 10:22:00 PM
Box Score
McPherson, Kan. – McPherson basketball had two players score career-highs as Aubrey Barton totaled 25 and Bailey Brown added in 21, helping lift the 'Dogs over Ottawa University 70-60. MC is now tied with Bethel College for seventh in the KCAC with just two games to play in the regular season; Sterling sits sixth with a one-game lead over Mac.
The Lady Bulldogs came out strong on Saturday, scoring six of the first seven points which gave them a 6-1 lead a few minutes into the game. Ottawa scored the next six to go on top for the first time of night but it was short lived as McPherson leap-frogged them on the next possession. The two teams went back-and-forth for the remainder of the half with the largest gap being six, held by MC with five to go. Trailing two with eight seconds left, Mac's Aubrey Barton hit a shot at the buzzer to tie things up heading into the break at 26-26.
McPherson went 9-of-25 in the opening half, making 3-of-10 from range; they counted five of their nine free throws. OU only made five field goals, going 5-of-25 from the floor and missed all nine of their three-point tries; they made it to the charity stripe multiple times, converting on 16-of-20. Barton led all scorers with her 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and 1-of-3 from the foul line.
In the second, MC got on top and stayed on top, increasing their lead to as many as 18, coming just over the midway point of the half. The Lady Braves pushed back and pulled within nine a few minutes later but an 8-0 run by the 'Dogs gave Mac a 17-point advantage with less than five to play. Ottawa got as close as six but by that point McPherson just had to hold them off for 30 more seconds; the Bulldogs made five of their final six free throws, clinching the 70-60 victory.
The Lady 'Dogs connected on an even 50% in the second, 13-of-36, with 4-of-7 dropping from beyond the arc; they hit 14-of-21 from the foul stripe. Ottawa went 10-of-28 with 4-of-14 coming from downtown; they were 10-of-16 from the free throw line.
After it was all said and done, McPherson was 22-of-51 for the night; they made 7-of-17 from long range and 19-of-30 from the stripe. The team gobbled up 46 rebounds, 13 more than the Lady Braves. MC also netted 19 turnovers, 13 assists, six steals and four blocks. 36 of their total came in the paint and 13 were second-chance points.
The top scorer for the game was Barton (Pratt, Kan.) as she knocked down 11-of-14 from the floor including 2-of-2 from distance; she ended the night making 1-of-3 free throws. Barton hauled in eight boards and swatted away three of OU's shot attempts as well. Bailey Brown (Glen Elder, Kan.) totaled 21 points on 4-of-10 from the field and 11-of-13 from the stripe; she also grabbed eight rebounds and handed out four assists. Callie Atkins (Stillwater, Okla.) added 10 points to the effort, making 4-of-11 with a pair of three balls. Breahna Gillespie (Little River, Kan.) tabbed a team-high 10 rebounds to go along with her six points and four assists.
On February 20th, the Lady 'Dogs will host Bethany College for Senior Night in the Sport Center; start time for the contest is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. (CT)
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