Leavenworth, Kan. – It was not a night for shooting as the combined field goal percentage between McPherson College and the University of Saint Mary was 36% with both teams making just 19 field goals. After a tight battle, it was the home team Spires who would take the game, 65-56.
The first quarter was one that the Bulldogs would like to have back; the team shot about as bad as they could, making just 2-of-12 field goals and just 3-of-10 from the foul line. USM performed better and took a 17-7 lead into the second. After trailing by as many as 14, McPherson used a three-point attack to quickly climb back into the game and eventually take the lead with less than two minutes to go. A late score by the Spires gave them the 29-28 halftime advantage. Mac shot 41.7% for the opening half, making 10-of-24 field goals, 8-of-12 in the second quarter, including 5-of-10 from range; they didn't shoot a free throw in the second, ending the half at 3-of-10 from the stripe. Saint Mary made 12-of-25 from the floor but missed all five of their deep balls; they netted 5-of-7 from the line.
The second half was tight throughout and it started with a back-and-forth third quarter. Neither team shot the ball well coming out of the break and the period included a couple of dry stretches that lasted over two minutes. Heading into the final quarter, MC still trailed by one, 44-43. The two teams stayed close in the fourth until the midway point of the period when the Lady 'Dogs went cold, leading to a 9-0 Saint Mary run which put the score at 59-50 with just 1:16 to play. Mac tried to get a late push but made free throws by USM gave the home team the nine-point victory. McPherson made just 9-of-34 field goals in the second half with 3-of-15 from behind the arc; they improved their foul shooting as 7-of-8 fell through. The Spires didn't fare much better shooting as they saw just 7-of-21 shots fall with an 0-of-4 showing from distance; they shot an unheard of 28 free throws in the game's final 20 minutes and made 22.
The Bulldogs went 19-of-46 for the game with 8-of-35 coming from deep; they made a poor 10-of-18 from the stripe. The team grabbed 37 rebounds with 15 on the offensive end of the court. Mac also tallied 15 turnovers, nine assists, and three steals in the loss. They scored 27 points in the paint and 23 of their total came from non-starters.
Georgia Smart led the team in scoring with her 15 points on 5-of-12 from the floor and 3-of-4 from the stripe; she made both of her three-point attempts, the first of the season for the forward. Both Bailey Brown and Ashton Bruner scored 11 for the Bulldogs; Brown went 4-of-12 from the floor and 3-of-4 from the line while Bruner made 3-of-10 field goals and 4-of-6 free throws. Amanda Allen scored on 3-of-5 three pointers for her nine points.
McPherson is back at home on the 16th as they host Southwestern College at 3:00 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
