WICHITA, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- The McPherson College women's basketball team held the Friends University without a field goal for a span of nearly 14 minutes, including the entire second quarter, but the Bulldogs could not overcome cold shooting of their own, falling to the Falcons, 53-52, Wednesday night at the Garvey Physical Education Center.
McPherson (7-4, 3-3 KCAC) took the opening lead on a basket by
Sonerka White (Houston, Texas, Eisenhower HS), but Friends (7-4, 5-1 KCAC) responded with a 9-0 run en route to a 27-14 lead after one quarter. The Falcons shot 75.0 percent (9-of-12) from the field, while the Bulldogs were just 33.3 percent (6-of-18).
Both teams went cold in the second quarter as McPherson outscored Friends, 9-2, to cut the deficit to just 29-23 at the break. The Bulldogs held the Falcons without a field goal (0-of-18), limiting Friends to a pair of free throws – one each by Mackenzie Vining and Betty Akathiotou.
The margin could have been closer, but McPherson struggled from the field itself, going just 4-of-17 in the opening 20 minutes. All told, the Falcons were held without a field goal for a period of nearly 14 minutes from the first to the third quarters between made baskets by Akathiotou.
Vining hit a free throw with 49 seconds left in the third quarter to put Friends up 44-36, but the Bulldogs responded with 13 straight points to go up 47-44 with 6:59 remaining in regulation. Vining knotted the score at 47-47 with a 3-pointer on the Falcons' next trip down the court. The shot sparked a 9-2 Friends run that put the hosts up 53-49 at the 4:02 mark.
McPherson closed with a trio of free throws – one from
Brooklyn Coe (Corvallis, Ore., Chemeketa CC) with 3:46 remaining and two from
Cami Richardson (Hesston, Kan., Hesston HS) with 2:33 to play – to cut the deficit to one at 53-52, but neither team was able to add to the their respective scoring columns. The Bulldogs had an opportunity to move ahead with 10.9 seconds to play but Richardson lost control of the ball as she drove towards the basket.
The Bulldogs ended up shooting 37.3 percent (22-of-59) from the floor, compared to just 30.4 percent (17-of-56) for the Falcons, and held a 34-20 advantage in points in the paint. McPherson also held a slim 44-43 edge on the boards. The Bulldogs struggled at the free-throw line, converting on just six of 18 opportunities. Friends was 16-of-25.
Coe scored a team-high 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, while
Brittany Roberts (Mansfield, Texas, Lake Ridge HS) added nine points, seven rebounds and three steals. Richardson and
Danielle Holt (Glenpool, Okla., Glenpool HS) each added four points and matched Roberts with seven boards.
White had seven points but had her playing time limited in the second half due to early foul trouble, while
Kristina Battle (Houston, Texas, Austin HS) and
Emma Van Donselaar (Shawnee, Kan., Shawnee Mission West HS) each had six.
Akathiotou led all players with 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting. She also had six rebounds and seven steals. Vining had 18 points, primarily behind a 9-for-13 effort at the free-throw line, and pulled down a game-high eight boards. Yowana Posey chipped in with six points, four rebounds and two assists but also had six turnovers.
After back-to-back road games, the Bulldogs return to the Sport Center for their next two contests. First up is a matchup with Ottawa University at 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon. McPherson will then host York College at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 12, before breaking for the holidays.
