LINDSBORG, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) ---
Sonerka White (Houston, Texas, Eisenhower HS) scored a game-high 17 points to lead the McPherson College women's basketball team to a 62-53 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) victory over Bethany College Tuesday evening at Ray D. Hahn Gymnasium.
After an even start, the Swedes (4-5, 1-2 KCAC) used a 9-2 run to break a 6-6 tie and take a 15-8 lead. The Bulldogs (6-2, 2-1 KCAC) scored three of the final four points of the opening quarter to cut the Bethany lead to 16-11.
Brooklyn Coe (Corvallis, Ore., Chemeketa CC) drained a pair of free throw to open the second quarter to make it a three-point game, but the Swedes responded with five in a row as Samirah Miller drained a 3-pointer - one of just two Bethany 3-pointers in the game - and Marissa Pope scored a layup to push the advantage back to eight. McPherson came charging back, scoring 11 straight - the last nine on back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers by White - to take a 24-21 lead. The Swedes tied the game at 29-29 with 1:12 to play, but a pair of
Maressah Milum (Douglass, Kan., Independence CC) free throws left the Bulldogs with a 31-29 advantage at the break.
Coe scored the first points of the second half, but three straight baskets by Cassidy Enns put Bethany back in front 35-33. McPherson put together a 16-6 run to close out the quarter. The Bulldogs held the Swedes to just three free throws while building an 11-point lead before Allie Wright-Fredrick drained a 3-pointer in the waning seconds of the frame to make it 49-41 headed to the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs maintained their lead in the final quarter, extending the advantage to 12 on a 3-pointer by
Danielle Holt (Glenpool, Okla., Glenpool HS) with 1:39 to play before settling for the nine-point victory.
White finished 7-of-18 from the field, scoring 13 of her game-high 17 in the first half. Coe added 14 points bolstered by a 7-of-8 effort at the free throw line, while Richardson finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.
Danielle Holt (Glenpool, Okla., Glenpool HS) added eight points, seven rebounds and a pair of blocks, while Milum had six points and five boards and two blocks off the bench.
Enns led Bethany with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, while Sydney Ahaneku added nine points and 11 rebounds.
McPherson shot 37.3 percent (22-of-59) from the floor compared to just 30.8 percent (20-of-65) for Bethany. The Swedes did hold a 54-40 advantage on the boards, including a 26 14 edge on the offensive glass, while the Bulldogs blocked a total of 11 shots.
The Bulldogs will now break for the Thanksgiving holiday, retuning to the court Wednesday, Nov. 29, when Southwestern College pays a visit to the Sport Center. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m.
