Ottawa, Kan. – For the fourth time over the past five games, the McPherson College women's basketball team won a game by 10 points or less. On Saturday, the Bulldogs were triumphant on the road against Ottawa University, 55-51.
It was a very, very low scoring first half as the teams combined for just 41 points on 16-of-57 shooting. The Lady 'Dogs led 11-8 after one period and looked to be in complete control of the game in the late stages of the second quarter but a few buckets by Ottawa brought the halftime score to 22-19. Mac netted 9-of-33 with just 1-of-8 threes falling through; they made 3-of-5 free throws. The Braves went 7-of-24 including 2-of-11 from range; OU also converted 3-of-5 from the stripe.
In the third quarter, the scoring improved, slightly. Despite losing the period, McPherson still held the lead with 10 minutes to play, 36-34; the Bulldogs led for nearly the entire quarter, trailing for just a few possessions but never by more than a bucket. The fourth quarter was a nail-biter as MC continued to lead but the game never seemed to be out of reach for the home team Braves. Holding a slim advantage late, Mac hit a couple big shots and their free throws to maintain their lead. Ottawa made a pair of three pointers in the closing seconds but the Bulldogs were ahead by enough to prevail, 55.51. MC again hit nine field goals, this time on 24 tries; they connected on 5-of-10 threes and did well at the line, 10-of-12. Ottawa dropped in 10-of-29 from the floor with 4-of-15 threes; they made all eight of their free throws.
McPherson's field goal percentage of 31.6% won't impress anybody but the team was able to make enough shots to get the win; they went 18-of-57 from the floor with 6-of-18 three balls while watching 13-of-17 free throws fall through. The Bulldogs tabbed 39 rebounds with 14 being offensive boards; they had just 10 turnovers along with eight assists, seven steals, and one block. 24 points were scored in the paint while 22 came from bench players and 15 were off of the 13 Ottawa turnovers.
Ashton Bruner led all scoring with 18 points on 5-of-14 field goals and 8-of-10 free throws; the senior also tallied 11 rebounds for her 10th double-double of the year. Bailey Brown scored 12 points on 3-of-13 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the line; she had a team-high three steals and three assists. Both Kristina Battle and Brooke Racette had solid games for Mac; each of the freshmen scored 11 points, Battle on 4-of-8 from the field with three threes and Racette on 5-of-6 shooting with one from deep.
MC will be back at home on Wednesday night as the team hosts Kansas Wesleyan University. Varsity tipoff is slated for 6:00. The game is set to be Champions Club Appreciation Night so all Champions Club members are encouraged to attend. Also, the week is the annual Coaches vs. Cancer week, so don't be surprised to see the coaches in suits and sneakers. There will be print outs of sneakers at the game that fans can use to recognize someone who is battling cancer or has battled cancer; those pictures will then be displayed throughout the Sport Center.
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McPherson College is a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference member school and a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
