Leavenworth, Kan. – After trailing by 14 at the break, a comeback by McPherson gave the Bulldogs a slim lead but the University of Saint Mary Spires prevailed in Leavenworth, 66-61. MC ends the first set of KCAC games at 1-8.
The Lady 'Dogs scored the first six points of the contest and held a slim lead for most of the first 10 minutes; USM used a 7-0 run to take control midway through the period and got their lead to double-digits with less than three minutes to play in the half. The Spires held a 36-22 advantage at the break. The 'Dogs went an ugly 1-of-11 from deep in the first 20 minutes but made 9-of-14 from the rest of the field; they were just 1-of-7 from the stripe. Saint Mary connected on 13-of-31 with 3-of-6 going in from range and 7-of-14 from the foul line.
In the second, Mac came out with authority and scored the first 10 points of the half; they eventually took the lead with just over 12 minutes to play. The Spires jumped back on top just past the 10-minute mark; a 9-2 run put Saint Mary ahead eight a short while later. The Bulldogs pushed back and got close but never regained the lead. USM didn't make all their free throws down the stretch but they made enough to claim the game at 66-61. MC put in 12-of-27 field goals including 6-of-15 from distance; they also improved the free throw percentage as 9-of-11 fell through. The Spires made 10-of-24 from the floor but missed all five of their three balls; they converted on 10-of-16 from the line.
The Bulldogs ended the night shooting a 42.3 field goal percentage, 22-of-52; they went 7-of-26 from behind the arc and 10-of-18 from the charity stripe. The team grabbed 34 rebounds with just six coming off the offensive glass. They tallied 21 turnovers, 16 assists, five steals, and one block in the contest.
Sunny Smart, after her second-half explosion, totaled a team-high 20 points on 8-of-18 shooting with four dropping from distance; she also had five rebounds for Mac. Bailey Brown made 6-of-8 free throws and 3-of-7 field goals for her 14 points; the junior rebounded a team-high nine balls and also had four assists. Georgia Smart had a solid game for MC as she bucketed 5-of-7 field goals and 3-of-5 foul shots for 13 points.
McPherson will host Bethany College on Saturday, January 24 as they start the second round of conference play; JV will tipoff at 1:00 p.m. (CT) with varsity getting underway at 5:00.
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McPherson College is a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference member school and a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
