SALINA, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- The McPherson College women's basketball dropped an 83-55 decision to the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (USAO) on the opening day of the Rib Crib - Kansas Wesleyan Coyote Classic Friday afternoon at Mabee Arena.
The Drovers (9-2) jumped out to an 11-0 lead as the Bulldogs (9-5) missed their first five shots and turned the ball over three times before
Brittany Roberts (Mansfield, Texas, Lake Ridge HS) scored a hoop in the paint at the 6:21 mark of the first quarter.
USAO pushed the lead to 16 points on a Vivian Holcomb bucket with 2:16 to play. McPherson cut the lead to 11 on a pair of
Emma Van Donselaar (Shawnee, Kan., Shawnee Mission West HS) free throws and a 3-pointer by
Kristina Battle (Houston, Texas, Austin HS) before Holcomb added another basket to put the Drovers up 24-11 after one quarter. USAO shot 62.5 percent (10-of-16) from the field in the quarter, while McPherson was just 3-of-11
The Bulldogs struggled to just six points in the second quarter, going 0-of-11 from the field while draining four free throws before
Brooklyn Coe (Corvallis, Ore., Chemeketa CC) made a layup with 1:25 to play. USAO had extended its lead to 20 before Coe's basket, then returned the margin to 20 on a Darian Hill jumper with 12 seconds left in the half.
McPherson opened the third quarter on a 9-5 run to cut the deficit to 16 with 6:12 to play in the frame but would get no closer the rest of the way.
After shooting 16.7 percent (4-of-24) from the field in the first half, McPherson responded to shoot 38.7 percent (12-of-31) in the second half with a pair of 3-pointers. Overall, the Bulldogs were just 3-of-23 from behind the arc and 20-of-33 at the free throw line.
Coe scored a team-high 13 points to lead McPherson, going 3-of-6 from the field with a 3-pointer and 6-of-8 at the line, while Roberts and Battle scored 10 points apiece off the bench. Roberts was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and pulled down seven boards.
Danielle Holt (Glenpool, Okla., Glenpool HS) added a game-high eight rebounds, while Van Donselaar had eight points and six boards.
Cami Richardson (Hesston, Kan., Hesston HS) was held scoreless for just the second time in her career, while
Sonerka White (Houston, Texas, Eisenhower HS) - the Bulldogs' leading scorer - was held to just six points.
The Drovers cooled off in the second half, going 13-of-30, but still finished at 45.3 percent (29-of-64) overall with nine 3-pointers. USAO also went 16-of-19 at the charity stripe, including 10-of-12 in the fourth quarter.
Shaylynn Bass scored a game-high 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting with three rebounds, three assists, three blocks and a steal. Hill chipped in with 12 points and three steals before fouling out, while Dierra Ely and Holcomb had 10 points apiece. Holcomb also had seven boards and four assists. Tierra Coffey matched Holcomb for team high honors in rebounds with seven while scoring eight points.
Friday's game marked the first of three straight for McPherson at Mabee Arena. The Bulldogs return to Salina at noon Saturday to wrap up 2017 portion of their schedule against Doane University (5-10) to conclude the Rib Crib - Kansas Wesleyan Coyote Classic then face the host Coyotes on Wednesday, Jan. 3, as both programs return to Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference play.
