SALINA, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- The McPherson College women's basketball team slipped below .500 for the first time this season with an 88-76 loss to Northern New Mexico College on Thursday at Mabee Arena as part of the Kansas Wesleyan University Coyote Classic.
The Bulldogs (7-8) jumped out to a 13-8 lead on a 3-pointer by
Cami Richardson (Hesston, Kan., Hesston HS) at the 6:48 mark of the first quarter, but the Eagles (7-10) responded with 10 of the next 15 points over the next 4:03 to tie the game at 18 with 2:45 remaining. McPherson scored seven straight points behind two free throws each from
Brittni Harlow (Lincoln, Kan., Lincoln HS) and
Emma Van Donselaar (Shawnee, Kan., Shawnee Mission West HS) and a 3-pointer from
RJ Kuhn (Windsor, Colo., Lamar CC) to take a 25-18 lead. NNMC closed the quarter on a 5-1 run as the Bulldogs took a 26-23 lead into the second quarter.
McPherson pushed the lead back to seven points at 32-25 when
Brooke Racette (Hutchinson, Kan., Trinity Catholic HS) drained a 3-pointer with 6:09 left in the half, but Northern New Mexico kept the game close, slowly chipping away at the lead. A pair of Demetria Clichee free throws with 11 seconds left sent the teams to the locker rooms with the Bulldogs clinging to a 42-41 lead.
The Eagles grabbed their first lead of the game less than a minute into the second half when Ashley John hit a jumper in the paint. The teams traded the lead back and forth over the next couple of minutes before
Brooke Zimmerman (Aurora, Colo., Western Nebraska CC) hit a layup to tie the game at 47-47 with 7:00 left in the quarter. From there, the Bulldogs went cold from the field allowing Northern New Mexico to go on a 14-2 run to lead 61-49 with 3:29 remaining. Clichee and John each hit two 3-pointers and Zoe Ruff added a second-chance bucket in the paint during the stretch. McPherson was able to bounce back, finishing the quarter on a 7-2 run behind five points from
Victoria Gonzalez (Keller, Texas, Keller HS) to send the game to its final stanza with NNMC leading 63-56.
Northern New Mexico pushed the lead back to 12 points early in the fourth quarter as Clichee hit another 3-pointer with 6:41 to play. Gonzalez responded with a three of her own on McPherson's next trip down the court, keying a 6-0 run over 69 seconds that halved the Eagle advantage. Richardson was fouled on a made layup and converted the ensuing free throw to account for the other three Bulldog points. McPherson would get no closer, however, as Northern New Mexico was able to put the game out of reach with free throws down the stretch.
Northern New Mexico outshot McPherson in the first half, hitting at a 45.2 percent clip from the field (14-of-31) compared to the Bulldogs' 34.5 percent (10-of-29). McPherson was able to stay in the game at the free-throw line, connecting on 18 of 25 attempts. By contrast, the Eagles were just 6-of-8.
In the second half, NNMC increased its shooting percentage to 46.9 percent (15-of-32) with six 3-pointers. McPherson also improved its shooting, hitting 39.4 percent (13-of-33) with four treys. The difference again came at the line as the Eagles sank 11 of 13 opportunities, while the Bulldogs were just 4-of-13.
Five Eagles finished in double figures, led by John with 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Clichee added 17 points, six rebounds, five assists, four steals and a block. Krishia Artieda drained five 3-pointers off the bench and finished with 15 points, while Jocelynn Lackey had 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting, 11 rebounds and a steal.
Tairaius Lucas was the final NNMC player in double-digits, finishing with 12 points and seven rebounds. Cheyenne Cordova dished out a game-high seven assists to go with six points.
Richardson finished just shy of another double-double with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting, eight boards, three assists and two steals. Racette and Zimmerman added nine points each with Racette posting three assists and two steals and Zimmerman pulling down seven rebounds.
Van Donselaar and Gonzalez had eight points each off the bench, while Harlow and
Kristina Battle (Houston, Texas, Austin HS) had seven points apiece.
The Bulldogs return to Mabee Arena on Friday, closing out their nonconference schedule against Dakota State University. Tipoff is slated for 4 p.m.
