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McPherson, Kan. – The McPherson College women's basketball team will take the short trip to Hillsboro, Kansas on February 5th as they are slated to battle Tabor College at 6:00 p.m. (CT) on Thursday; the junior varsity squads will compete at 2:00 p.m.
After winning back-to-back games, the MC's streak was stopped this past Saturday as Kansas Wesleyan University topped the 'Dogs 77-58 in Salina. The slow first half picked up when a 10-0 run by the Coyotes put them ahead 11 just past the halfway point of the opening period. A string of turnovers really hampered McPherson and they went into the locker room down 35-19; the team committed 15 TOs in the first 20 minutes. Mac connected on 7-of-21 field goals with 3-of-9 dropping from behind the arc; they were 2-of-8 from the foul stripe. KWU hit on 13-of-26 with four from downtown.
The second half started with another Kansas Wesleyan run which propelled them to a 20-point advantage. The Bulldogs were only able to break into the teens a few times the rest of the way and fell 77-58. MC shot in 11-of-27 with 4-of-9 coming from range; they upped their free throw shooting percentage as 13-of-19 tries went through. The Lady Coyotes bucketed 15-of-33 from the floor and counted all nine of their foul shots.
For the game, McPherson scored on 18-of-48 field goals with 7-of-18 three balls finding their way in; the team dropped 15-of-27 free throws, 55.6%. Mac totaled 32 rebounds including 13 off the offensive glass. They logged 21 turnovers as well as seven assists, six steals, and three blocks. Only 20 of the Bulldogs' total came within the paint and 15 were second-chance points.
Bailey Brown tallied a game-high 21 points on 7-of-12 field goals and 4-of-6 free throws; she went a perfect 3-of-3 from behind the three-point line. The Smarts, Sunny and Georgia, each tallied 11 points for Mac. S. Smart was 2-of-8 from three, 1-of-2 from two, and 3-of-4 from the foul line; the junior also had a team-high two blocks and two steals. G. Smart hit just 2-of-7 from the floor but made 7-of-13 free throws; she also recorded a team-high 11 rebounds. Whitney Jefferson led the team in assists with four and also added in five points.
Ranked Bulldogs: Sunny Smart ranks 19th in total threes made on the year with 57. Bailey Brown is 21st in scoring with her 406 total points. Alicia Demaret has totaled 39 blocks this season, putting her 21st in the Nation; she is 24th in blocks per game with 1.6. As a team, Mac is 24th in the NAIA in total blocks with 86.
All statistics are for KCAC games only.
MC in the KCAC: The Bulldogs are first in the league in blocks per game with 4.4. They sit fifth in both free throw percentage at 67.2% and rebounding as they average 36.2 a night. Bailey Brown is second in the conference with her 17.9 points per game; she is also fourth in field goal percentage at 45.5%. Sunny Smart has made 26 three balls in this KCAC season which is the most of any conference player. Alicia Demaret leads the league in blocks with her 26 against KCAC opponents; she is averaging 2.17 a game. Whitney Jefferson still sits fourth in assists per game with 3.1.
The Lady Bulldogs will be back home on February 7th when they'll take on Sterling College at 5:00 p.m. with the JV set to start at 1:00. It will be "Think Pink Night" in the Sport Center, check back for more details.
Scouting Tabor
The Lady Bluejays currently sit at 13-11 on the year and are 9-3 in the KCAC, tied for first place with Friends and Kansas Wesleyan. Since the start of 2015, they have been involved in multiple tight games, going 6-4; just two of their 10 games have had a scoring margin of 10+. TC heads into Thursday's contest coming off a 58-51 win over the University of Saint Mary.
Tabor held the initial lead and stayed up by a handful for the first 15 minutes. The final few were controlled by USM as the home team battled back and then took a 27-26 advantage into the break. TC put in 9-of-27 field goals with just 3-of-12 threes finding their way through. Saint Mary connected on 10-of-22 from the floor but made just 4-of-9 free throws.
The second half went back-and-forth for the first 10 minutes but a mini-run by the Bluejays gave them a slim lead for the last five minutes. Tabor held off a late Spire push for the 58-51 victory. TC went 11-of-26 from the field and saw a mere 2-of-8 three balls drop; they connected on a poor 8-of-16 from the foul line. USM again shot the ball well from the field as 10-fo-24 field goals found the bottom of the net; they only made 1-of-6 threes and took a mere five free throw attempts, they made three.
The Bluejays ended the game shooting in 20-of-53, 37.7%, which included 5-of-20 three balls; they converted 13-of-21 free throws. TC pulled in 46 rebounds with 17 coming off the offensive glass. They also had 19 turnovers, seven assists, seven steals, and a pair of blocks.
Both Tonisha Dean and Mallory Zuercher scored 15 for Tabor. Dean had a 50% night; she made 5-of-10 field goals, 2-of-4 threes, and 3-of-6 free throws. Zuercher scored on 5-of-9 from the floor and 3-of-4 from the stripe. Erin Maxwell went a perfect 4-of-4 from the field for her eight points; she also tabbed six boards.
Statistics are from KCAC games only.
TC is scoring 66.3 points a game while allowing 59.4; they are fourth in the conference in scoring margin at 6.8. The team drops in a KCAC leading 41.5% from the field including a fourth-best 33.1 percent from deep; they make just 65.9% from the charity stripe, seventh in the league. Their rebounding average of 40.6 leads the conference. The team also tabs 16.6 turnovers, 10.9 assists, 7.0 steals, and 3.5 blocks a night.
Dean is scoring a team-high 12.6 points a game and makes over 50% of her field goals; she also leads the team in free throws with her 30 makes. Kaleigh Troxell is second on the team with her 9.3 points per game; she has dropped in 18-of-50 three balls for the squad's leading three-point percentage, 36%. Kayla Wilgers has made a team-high 25 three balls throughout the KCAC season but is only making 28.7 percent from range. Tena Lowen tops the team in rebounding average at 7.3; she is scoring 6.7 points a night.
Tabor stays at home for their next contest; they will take on Bethel College on February 7th.
