McPherson, Kan. - The Lady Bulldog basketball team had a tough time putting points on the board on Saturday night as a very physical Tabor College team forced off balance shots inside the paint, which is where the majority of McPherson's points come from. In the end the KCAC-leading Bluejays walked away with a 62-45 win.
The first quarter brought some very good basketball as the two teams traded buckets throughout and the period ended at 17-16 in favor of the visiting Lady 'Jays. The scoring slowed in the second as the defense amped up for both squads; the halftime score sat at 29-24 with TC out in front. The Bulldogs shot in 10-of-30 but were 0-of-3 from deep they made 4-of-6 free throws. Tabor knocked in 11-of-25 with 3-of-12 three balls dropping; they went 4-of-5 from the line.
The game stayed close coming out of the locker room but a tough last two minutes by McPherson gave the Bluejays a 44-34 win with 10 minutes to go; TC went on a 5-0 run in their final two possessions following a pair of Mac turnovers. It was slow going for MC in the start of the fourth which allowed Tabor to push their advantage to 23 with less than three to play. The Bulldogs put some points together late but it was too little as they fell 62-45. McPherson went 8-of-26 from the floor with 2-of-4 threes finding the bottom of the net; they had an uncharacteristicly low free throw percentage as just 3-of-9 fell. The 'Jays upped their shooting as 13-of-25 shots fell but they missed all seven of their threes; the team converted on 7-of-11 from the charity stripe.
The Bulldogs connected on 18-of-56 for the game with 2-of-7 threes going down; they were just 7-of-15 from the line. Mac pulled down 31 rebounds with an impressive 20 offensive boards. They tallied 15 turnovers, nine steals, four assists, and three blocks. 28 points came in the paint for MC and 14 were second chance buckets.
After scoring 10 points in the first half, Ashton Bruner scored six more in the second for a game-high 16 points; she was 7-of-18 from the field and 2-of-5 from the stripe. Bailey Brown was 3-of-9 from the floor and just 3-of-6 from the free throw line for her 10 points; she recorded a team-high six rebounds. Georgia Smart scored six points and had five boards as well.
The lone game for McPherson next week will be down in Oklahoma as they take on the OKWU Eagles on Thursday night; tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m. (CT)
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McPherson College is a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference member school and a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
