Sterling, Kan. – A victory for the McPherson College women's basketball team was thwarted by a Sterling College bucket in the closing seconds; this is the third time this season that MC has lost a game in the final seconds. Mac now sits at 12-17 on the year and 9-10 in the KCAC; they are sitting fifth in the league with one game to play.
It was a slow start for the Lady 'Dogs as they got down 12-2 in the opening quarter; they were able to rally and moved the first quarter score to 14-9. In the second, the Bulldogs inched closer and then took the lead for one possession in the closing minutes of the half. Sterling was able to hit a pair of free throws to give them a 30-28 advantage at the break. MC shot a solid 46.1% from the floor in the first half, bucketing 12-of-26 with 1-of-4 threes falling through; the team made 3-of-4 from the foul line. The Lady Warriors hit on just 10-of-28 including just 1-of-7 from range; they converted on 9-of-11 free throws. The Bulldogs tallied eight turnovers in the game's first 20 minutes while allowing eight offensive boards.
McPherson took control of the game midway through the third quarter which allowed them to get to a 41-40 lead after three. The Bulldogs kept going in the fourth and looked to have the game locked up; they didn't push their lead to more than a handful but the Lady Warriors appeared to be done. In the closing minutes, a big three by SC pulled them within one with just under two to play. Following a defensive stop, Sterling got a chance to take the lead back and did with 48 seconds remaining. The Lady 'Dogs didn't panic and answered, giving them a 52-51 advantage with 26 seconds left. After nearly throwing the ball away, SC was able to get a contested layup to fall with 1.2 on the clock. Mac's last attempt at a lob pass was knocked away, ending the game with the Warriors winning 53-52. MC netted 9-of-23 field goals in the second with 3-of-6 threes making their way through; they went 3-of-5 from the line. Sterling made 8-of-24 from the floor, 3-of-8 from distance; the team connected on 4-of-8 free throws.
The Bulldogs ended the game with a 42.9 field goal percentage, knocking down 21-of-49 from the floor; they made 4-of-10 from deep and 6-of-9 from the charity stripe. The team tallied 26 rebounds with nine offensive boards; they also tabbed 12 turnovers, an earth-shattering nine blocks, eight steals, and seven assists. 26 points came in the paint for McPherson and 17 were scored by bench players.
Bailey Brown led the 'Dogs in scoring with her 14 on 5-of-11 field goals and 4-of-5 free throws; she also had a team-high four steals. Kristina Battle went 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and 1-of-3 from inside for her 11 points; the freshman had five rebounds. Ashton Bruner totaled 10 points on 5-of-14 shooting; she too had five boards and logged four steals and three blocks. Amanda Allen led the team is rebounding with nine and also had a team-high four swats.
On Saturday afternoon, MC will host the University of Saint Mary for Senior Night starting at 3:00 p.m. (CT); the Bulldogs have six seniors this season and will look to grab a win heading into the conference tournament. There are several scenarios for Mac when it comes to the postseason, a win on the 20th and they could take fourth but a loss could potentially eliminate them from the tournament, depending on how the rest of the league does on Saturday.
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McPherson College is a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference member school and a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
