McPHERSON, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) ---
Brooklyn Coe (Corvallis, Ore., Chemeketa CC) scored a game-high 23 points to lead the McPherson College women's basketball team to a 91-84 victory over Oklahoma Wesleyan University Wednesday night at the Sport Center in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) opener for both schools.
Trailing 20-18 after one quarter, the Bulldogs (5-1, 1-0 KCAC) opened the second quarter with a 10-2 run behind four points each from
Maressah Milum (Douglass, Kan., Independence CC) and
Cami Richardson (Hesston, Kan., Hesston HS) to grab a 28-22 lead with 8:10 to play in the half.
The Eagles (5-1, 0-1 KCAC) responded with 13 of the next 14 points, taking the lead on a Dania Goodwin 3-pointer with 3:15 remaining and extended the lead to six with 1:54 to play.
McPherson missed nine straight shots from the field, getting just a free throw from
Brittany Roberts (Mansfield, Texas, Lake Ridge HS), before
Nicole Abunaja (Phoenix, Ariz., Desert Vista HS) hit a 3-pointer at the 1:40 mark.
A late OKWU push moved the lead back to eight points but it settled into a six-point margin at the break at 42-36.
The Bulldogs chipped away at the advantage in the third quarter, outscoring the Eagles, 18-11, over the first five minutes of the frame to take a 55-53 lead as Brooke Zimmerman completed an old-fashioned 3-point play. OKWU retook the lead the next time down the court on a Cheyenne Been 3-pointer. The teams traded the lead down the stretch with a Coe layup late in the quarter left McPherson trailing by just one headed to the final quarter.
Richardson came away with a steal on the first possession of the fourth quarter, then found
Brooke Racette (Hutchinson, Kan., Trinity Catholic HS) for a 3-pointer to give the Bulldogs a lead they would not relinquish. McPherson led by as many as eight points midway through the quarter, then went on to make nine of 12 free throws down the stretch to keep the game out of reach.
Coe finished 8-of-16 from the field with a pair of 3-pointers. She also went 5-of-7 from the line and pulled down a team-high six rebounds.
Kristina Battle (Houston, Texas, Austin HS) added 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and a 6-of-7 effort from the charity stripe, while Racette and Roberts added nine points each. Racette hit a pair of 3-pointers, while Roberts - making her season debut - matched Coe with six boards and went 7-of-12 at the line.
Milum and Richardson had eight points apiece, with Richardson adding a team-high five assists and two steals.
The Bulldogs shot 42.9 percent (27-of-63) from the field and hit 31 of 44 free throws, including 23-of-29 in the second half. In the third quarter alone, McPherson was 10-of-16 (62.5 percent) from the field with three 3-pointers and 8-of-10 at the line.
McPherson's performance at the free throw ranks as one of the best in program history as both the 31 successful free throws and 44 attempts rank third on the team's single-game lists.
Five Eagles finished in double figures, led by Tiffany Regier with 18. Mary Hutchins added 17 points and eight rebounds, while Cheyenne Been had 16.
The Bulldogs go on the road for their next two games - Saturday at Tabor (5 p.m.) and Tuesday at Bethany (6 p.m.) - before breaking for the Thanksgiving holiday.
