McPherson, Kan. – The Lady Bulldogs used an impressive 32-14 first half to propel them to a 51-45 win over the Bethany College Swedes in the Sport Center on Saturday; the victory snaps a 10-game losing streak for Mac.
The Lady Swedes had a tough time scoring from the get-go and MC took full advantage as they went ahead double-digits by the midway point. Mac stayed up by 10+ for the rest of the half and took a commanding 32-14 lead into the break. The 'Dogs bucketed 11-of-24 field goals with 6-of-13 threes dropping through. BC was only able to get four field goals to find the bottom of the net on 25 attempts; they were 0-of-9 from deep and 6-of-11 from the charity stripe.
The second period started very slow as neither team counted a bucket until the 14:18 mark; prior to the first points, Mac was 0-of-8 and BC 0-of-7. From there, Bethany did most of the scoring as MC struggled to buy a basket. McPherson maintained their lead but saw it dwindle as the period drew on; the team counted on their foul shooting to stay ahead as they went 17-of-25 in the half. The Swedes pulled as close as two but never took the lead. The Bulldogs held on for the 51-45 triumph. Mac made one field goal in the final 20 minutes which came with 3:24 on the clock; they were 1-of-17 including 0-of-6 from range. Bethany shot in 11-of-37 with 4-of-15 threes going in; they had a rough time from the foul line, making 5-of-11.
For the game, the 'Dogs went 12-of-41, 29.3%, with 6-of-19 threes going down; they converted 21-of-30 free throws, 70 percent. McPherson pulled down 43 rebounds with 10 coming off the offensive glass. The team had 28 turnovers, nine assists, six steals, and four blocks in the win.
Both Sunny Smart and Bailey Brown tallied 12 points for Mac. Brown went just 1-of-9 from the floor but made 10-of-12 free throws; she also had eight boards. Smart cashed in on 2-of-8 threes and all six from the stripe; she led the team in rebounds with eight.
MC will host the other BC of the conference as Bethel College comes to town on Wednesday, January 28; JV is slated to start at 2:00 p.m. (CT) with varsity getting underway at 6:00
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McPherson College is a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference member school and a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
