McPherson, Kan. – It was a very close contest between McPherson College and Ottawa University on Tuesday as the teams had multiple lead changes and ties. After MC held the lead for most of the fourth, a last-second, banked in three-point bucket by the Braves ended the game in Ottawa's favor 60-58.
After starting the half strong, the Bulldogs cooled off which allowed Ottawa to climb back in and take a 17-12 lead into the second. It was a very physical second 10 minutes as the two teams battled inside the paint. A last-second three-point bucket by OU gave the Braves a 34-27 lead at halftime. MC made 10-of-31 from the field with just 2-of-7 going in from deep; the 'Dogs only attempted six foul shots but made five. The Braves made 43.5 of their field goals, 10-of-23, with 4-of-9 finding the bottom of the net from behind the arc; they went 10-of-14 from the charity stripe.
It was a low-scoring start to the second half as both teams struggled to hit their shots. After Ottawa's lead reached double-digits, the Bulldogs pushed back and were able to tie it up at 46-46 heading into the fourth. MC took control early on in the fourth quarter and extended their advantage to six midway through the half. The 'Dogs held a slim lead down the stretch and were up 57-54 with one minute to play. A couple of buckets by OU and a 1-of-4 showing at the free throw line by McPherson gave the Braves a chance at a buzzer beater which they hit to put the final at 60-58, Ottawa.
The Bulldogs ended the game shooting 40.4% after a 13-of-26 showing in the fourth quarter; MC made just 2-of-14 threes in the contest and converted on 10-of-15 foul shots. The team grabbed 41 total rebounds with 10 off the offensive glass; they also logged 17 turnovers, 13 assists, eight steals, and five blocked shots. Mac scored 51 points in the paint and had 14 come off of Ottawa turnovers.
Bailey Brown scored a team-high 14 points on 6-of-9 field goals and 2-of-2 free throws; she also grabbed six rebounds and had led the way in assists with five. Both Reagan McClellan and Ashton Bruner totaled 10 points. McClellan was 4-of-6 from the floor and also hit 2-of-5 foul shots; she led the team in steals with four and also had four assists. Bruner hit 4-of-10 from the floor and 2-of-4 from the stripe; she tallied a team-high seven rebounds.
McPherson has some time off before their next contest as they aren't scheduled to play until December 3rd when they head to Kansas Wesleyan University for a 6:00 p.m. (CT) showdown with the Coyotes.
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McPherson College is a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference member school and a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
