Wichita, Kan. – The McPherson College women's basketball team lost 96-61 on Saturday to No. 15 Friends University. The Lady 'Dogs are now 2-18 on the year and 1-7 in the KCAC.
McPherson's first and only lead of the game came after a three-ball by Callie Atkins less than 20 seconds into the contest. The Falcons scored on their next possession which sparked a 13-0 run. MC didn't break the 10-point mark until over 10 minutes had gone by; Friends by that point had scored 32. Mac headed into halftime trailing 54-28. The Bulldogs made just seven field goals, 7-of-19, four of which were from behind the arc; they knocked down 10-of-16 free throws. FU counted 21-of-38 from the floor and cashed in on 6-of-15 from deep.
In the second half, Friends pushed their lead to 30 less than three minutes in; they stayed ahead by 30+ for the remainder of the contest and took the game 96-61. The 'Dogs shot in another seven field goals, 7-of-21 with 3-of-11 falling from range; they stayed sharp from the foul line where they converted on 16-of-20. Friends put in 13-of-32 with an impressive 9-of-18 from downtown.
McPherson made 14-of-40 for the game including 7-of-22 from distance; they connected on 26-of-36 from the stripe. The Falcons doubled-up Mac in rebounding as the Bulldogs had just 21 boards, seven were offensive. MC turned the ball over 27 times to a very aggressive Friends defense; they also recorded 11 assists, three seals, and a pair of blocks.
Bailey Brown scored a game-high 22 points with over half coming from the foul line where she went 13-of-16; she made 4-of-7 field goals and also hauled in a team leading six rebounds. Sunny Smart dropped in 5-of-15 from the floor with 3-of-9 coming from deep; she also hit 3-of-3 free throws for her 16 points. Atkins cashed in on 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, adding nine to the cause. Whitney Jefferson dished out a team-high four assists.
Mac will head to Leavenworth, Kansas for their next contest. The team is scheduled to take on the University of Saint Mary on January 21st at 6:00 p.m. (CT)
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McPherson College is a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference member school and a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
