McPHERSON, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- The McPherson College women's basketball team outscored Southwestern College, 17-4, in the third quarter to turn a one-point halftime deficit into a 12-point lead headed to the fourth quarter en route to a 59-43 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) win Wednesday night at the Sport Center.
Tied 7-7 midway through the first quarter, the Lady Builders (2-8, 1-3 KCAC) scored three straight baskets to build a six-point lead. McPherson's
Julie Olvera (Bakersfield, Calif., Bakersfield College) drained a 3-pointer with 34 seconds remaining, but Kamy Walck answered with a trey of her own to give Southwestern a 16-10 lead after one quarter.
The Bulldogs (7-2, 3-1 KCAC) opened the second frame on a 11-2 run, taking their first lead of the game on a
Nicole Abunaja (Phoenix, Ariz., Desert Vista HS) 3-pointer with 4:28 to play in the half. McPherson couldn't not sustain the momentum, however, as the Lady Builders rattled off seven in a row to take a 25-21 lead on a Maddie Rogers triple.
Sonerka White (Houston, Texas, Eisenhower HS) matched Rogers with a 3-pointer of her own on the Bulldogs' next trip down the floor, but both teams lost their scoring touch at that point. The final 2:13 of the half came and went without another point being scored, leaving Southwestern with a 25-24 lead at the break.
McPherson held Southwestern to 2-of-10 shooting in the third quarter while forcing six turnovers and winning the battle on the boards by an 11-4 margin. The Bulldogs were 7-of-16 from the field offensively, scoring the final eight points of the quarter on threes by Abunaja and Olvera and a layup by
Emma Van Donselaar (Shawnee, Kan., Shawnee Mission West HS) to take a 41-29 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Builders were able to cut the McPherson lead back to single digits at 50-43 with 4:49 to play behind back-to-back 3-pointers by Walck and Jazmyne Laskey, but the Bulldogs scored the game's final nine points.
McPherson struggled to just 22.2 percent (8-of-36) shooting in the first half but rebounded to shoot 44.8 percent (13-of-29) in the second half and finish at 32.3 percent overall. The Bulldogs were also 9-of-25 from behind the arc and hit eight of 11 free throws while winning the rebounding battle by a 45-31 margin. McPherson also forced Southwestern into 20 turnovers while committing just 13.
Cami Richardson (Hesston, Kan., Hesston HS) was the only Bulldog in double figures, finishing with 11 on 3-of-13 shooting. She was also 5-of-6 at the free throw line. Always known to fill a stat line, Richardson also had five rebounds, four steals, three assists, and a pair of blocks.
Abunaja and Olvera each hit three 3-pointers to finish with nine points apiece, while
Danielle Holt (Glenpool, Okla., Glenpool HS) added eight points and six rebounds. White matched Holt with eight points, while
Brooke Zimmerman (Aurora, Colo., Western Nebraska CC) had three points and a game-high seven rebounds off the bench.
Laskey took game-high honors with 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting. She also pulled down five boards, had four assists, two steals and made Southwestern's lone free throw. The Builders were just 1-of-3 at the charity stripe as only 23 fouls were called in the game -- 12 on McPherson, 11 on Southwestern.
Walck added 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including a 3-of-4 effort from behind the arc. Jordyn Miller added eight points, five boards, two blocks, two assists and two steals, while Taylor Henderson had seven points and five rebounds.
The Bulldogs return to the court Saturday evening with a matchup at Sterling College (4-3, 3-1 KCAC). The Warriors picked up their first KCAC loss Wednesday night with a 69-68 loss at Oklahoma Wesleyan University in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Tipoff from the Gleason Physical Education Center in Sterling, Kansas, is slated for 5 p.m.
