Women's Basketball Edged by No. 11 Tabor, 66-64

HILLSBORO, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- The McPherson College women's basketball team put a scare into No. 11 Tabor College on its own floor but could not come away with the victory as the Bluejays eked out a 66-64 victory Thursday evening.
 
McPherson (7-4, 3-3 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference) jumped out to a 4-0 lead on baskets by Cami Richardson (Hesston, Kan., Hesston HS) and Brooke Racette (Hutchinson, Kan., Trinity Catholic HS), but Tabor (8-3, 5-1 KCAC) responded for 10 of the next 13 points to grab a 10-7 lead with 42 seconds to play in the period. Maressah Milum (Douglas, Kan., Independence CC) sank a pair of free throws in the waning seconds of the quarter to cut the Bluejay lead to one at 10-9. The Bulldogs trailed by only one despite shooting just 3-of-14 from the field, primarily on the strength on 10 rebounds – including four on the offensive glass.
 
Tabor kept the pressure on in the second quarter, opening the frame with another 10-3 run to force McPherson head coach Gordon Reimer to call a timeout with just under seven minutes to play in the half and the Bluejays leading 20-12. Isabella Bacon (Sapulpa, Okla., Sapulpa HS) drained a pair of 3-pointers in the final minutes to help the Bulldogs keep pace as Tabor took a 29-22 lead into the locker room. Kristina Battle (Houston, Texas, Austin HS) had seven first-half rebounds.
 
McPherson scored 14 of the first 17 points to start the second half, turning a seven-point deficit into a four-point lead in the span of six minutes behind six points from Richardson and five from Bacon. An Amber Bonham 3-pointer with 3:42 remaining cut the lead to one and effectively ended the rally. A basket by Brooke Zimmerman (Aurora, Colo., Western Nebraska CC) on the Bulldogs' next trip down the floor pushed the lead back to three and ended a streak of over four minutes without a field goal for the visitors, but Bonham's triple opened the floodgates for the Bluejays. Tabor outscored McPherson, 16-10, to close the quarter behind two 3-pointers each from Bonham and Tristen Leiszler.
 
The teams traded the lead back-and-forth to start the fourth quarter. A Taylor Deniston basket with 5:34 to play gave the Bluejays a 56-55 lead – one the hosts would not relinquish. Tabor pushed the lead to five on a three by Kyli Webber with just over two minutes to play and was able to make free throws down the stretch to keep McPherson at arms' length and secure the victory.
 
The Bulldogs held a dominating 44-25 advantage on the boards, including a 19-5 edge on the offensive glass, but the Bluejays were more efficient from the field, especially in the second half. Tabor shot 48 percent (12-of-25) from the field in the final two quarters compared to McPherson's 45.2 percent (14-of-31) and drained seven 3-pointers to Bulldogs' three.
 
Bacon finished with a game-high 18 points with four 3-pointers to lead McPherson. Twelve of her 18 points came in the second half. Richardson added a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds while also adding a team-high four steals. Milum had nine points and six rebounds, while Coe and Battle added seven points apiece. Battle, who struggled to 3-of-17 shooting from the field, also had eight rebounds, three assists and three steals.
 
Webber (12) and Bonham (10) combined for 22 points off the bench to lead Tabor. Deniston and Nicole Decker added nine points apiece, while Jurnee Reid had eight points and four steals.
 
McPherson faces another stiff test in its next outing as it welcomes league-leader and No. 24-ranked Friends University (8-2, 6-0 KCAC) to the Sport Center on Saturday afternoon for a 5 p.m. tipoff. Leading the Falcons will be Shann Sellers, the NAIA Division II national leader in both scoring (24.7 points per game) and steals (5.9 spg).