McPherson, Kan. – In a game that could have ended their season, the McPherson College women's basketball team came to play on Saturday and took down the University of Saint Mary 71-67 on Senior Day.
The opening minutes of the first quarter were completely dominated by Saint Mary as they quickly led 7-0 and then got up by eight a few possessions later. A resilient Bulldog squad ended the period on a 14-6 run to tie the game at 18-18. MC quickly jumped in front in the second quarter and held a slim lead throughout with the largest being five points; they were up 34-30 at halftime. Mac dropped in 13-of-35 first-half field goals with 3-of-10 being three-point buckets; they went just 5-of-9 from the line. USM netted 10-of-30 from the floor with 4-of-16 coming from deep; they made 6-of-8 free throws.
The third quarter was a tight battle with three ties and five lead changes, neither team led by more than four. With just 10 minutes to play, it was all knotted up courtesy of a three-ball from Mac's Sunny Smart. MC again jumped out in front and held a very small lead throughout. In the closing minutes the Spires pulled within a bucket on several occasions but some solid shooting from the foul stripe by McPherson ended the game at 71-67 in favor of the home team Bulldogs. MC only took 21 shots in the second half and made eight, 38.1%; they connected on 2-of-7 from three and an impressive 19-of-21 from the charity stripe. Saint Mary scored on 11-of-26 from the floor with 4-of-12 threes; they were 11-of-18 from the line.
McPherson ended the game with a 37.5 shooting percentage, 21-of-56, with 5-of-17 three-point makes; they put 24-of-30 free throws through the net, 80%. The team tallied 37 rebounds with 12 coming on the offensive end of the court; they had just nine turnovers along with 10 assists, nine steals, and four blocks. 44 points were scored in the paint for the Bulldogs and 24 of their total came from bench players.
Senior Ashton Bruner connected on 50% from the floor, 8-of-16, and made 5-of-8 free throws for a team-high 21 points; she had seven rebounds as well. Four-year starter Bailey Brown put 4-of-9 field goals and a perfect 8-of-8 free throws in for her 16 points; she grabbed a team-high nine rebounds in nearly 38 minutes of playing time. Smart, also a senior cashed in on 2-of-5 threes and 1-of-3 twos for her 10 points; she had four boards. Amanda Allen also made it into double-digits with 10 points on 2-of-8 shooting and 5-of-6 free throws; the freshman had six rebounds and all four of Mac's blocks.
With the victory, the Bulldogs are now the fifth seed in the upcoming 2015-16 KCAC Postseason Tournament. The team will travel to Winfield, Kansas to take on the No. 4 Southwestern College Moundbuilders on Wednesday, February 24 for a 7:00 p.m. (CT) tipoff. The winner will face the No. 1 Tabor College vs. No. 8 Kansas Wesleyan University victor. McPherson has defeated SWC twice this season, 59-58 on the road in November and 65-59 at home in January. Click here for the bracket.
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McPherson College is a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference member school and a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
