McPHERSON, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- The McPherson College women's basketball team shot over 50 percent from the field in the second half en route to a 61-52 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) victory over No. 16 Tabor College Saturday night at the Sport Center.
The Bulldogs (11-10, 7-7 KCAC) controlled the opening tip, then almost immediately grabbed the first lead of the game on an
Emma Van Donselaar (Shawnee, Kan., Shawnee Mission West HS) layup. The Bluejays (13-7, 10-4 KCAC) responded with a 9-0 run over a span of nearly six minutes to take a 9-2 lead.
Cami Richardson (Hesston, Kan., Hesston HS) stopped the run with a pair of free throws at the 3:55 mark, then added a put-back jumper after an initial miss on McPherson's next trip down the floor. After another defensive stop, the Bulldogs got within a point at 9-8 on a layup by
Sonerka White (Houston, Texas, Eisenhower HS). Tabor rallied with another extended run - this one, an 8-0 run - to push the lead back to nine points before a
Danielle Holt (Glenpool, Okla., Glenpool HS) layup in the waning seconds of the frame left the Bluejays with a 17-10 lead after one quarter.
The teams traded baskets for much of the second quarter but a late 6-0 run powered by back-to-back baskets by
Brooklyn Coe (Corvallis, Ore., Chemeketa CC) brought McPherson to within a pair at 27-25 as the teams headed to the locker rooms for halftime.
Neither team was able to break away in the early stages of the third quarter, trading the lead back and forth. Holt broke a 32-all tie with a pair of free throws at the 6:53 mark only to see Taylor Deniston drain a 3-pointer at the other end to put the Bluejays back up by one with 6:25 to play. On the Bulldogs' next possession, White hit a second-chance jumper off the right wing after her initial 3-point attempt drew iron and was corralled by Holt. White followed with two more baskets off Tabor turnovers to kick off a 22-8 run that was capped when
Brooke Racette (Hutchinson, Kan., Trinity Catholic HS) hit a 3-pointer to give McPherson at 56-43 lead - its largest of the night - with 4:43 left in the game.
The Bluejays rallied for seven straight points on a Tristen Leiszler free throw and 3-pointers by Sammy Jo Peterson and Amber Bonham to cut the Bulldog lead to just six with 1:50 to play, but McPherson made five of six free throws down the stretch to keep the game out of reach.
Both teams hovered at or around 40 percent from the field in the first half as Tabor went 9-of-22 (40.9 percent) and McPherson was 10-of-25 (40 percent). In the second half, though, the Bulldogs were 12-of-23 (52.2 percent) from the field, while the Bluejays were just 5-of-24 (20.8 percent). Both teams finished with four 3-pointers in the contest.
When the shots were not falling, Tabor was able to stay in the game by hitting their free throws. The Bluejays finished the game 20-of-21 at the charity stripe. After a shaky first half where they went 4-of-9, McPherson rallied to hit 9 of 12 chances in the second half.
Richardson led all players with 12 points. She also had a pair of rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot. Coe and White added 11 points apiece, while Racette had 10. White had a game-high three steals. Holt finished with six points and six rebounds off the bench, and
Brooke Zimmerman (Aurora, Colo., Western Nebraska CC) added four points and five rebounds.
No Tabor player reached double figures as Bonham, Deniston and Kristyn Wedel were all stuck at nine points. Wedel also had a game-high seven rebounds. Kelsey Unruh added eight points and six rebounds off the bench, while Leiszler had seven points.
The win snapped the Bulldogs' 11-game losing streak to the Bluejays that spanned nearly six years. Prior to Saturday night, the last McPherson win in the series was a 64-49 victory on Jan. 26, 2012.
The Bulldogs will try to ride the momentum from the victory into Wednesday night's game at Southwestern College. McPherson took the initial meeting, 59-43, on Nov. 29 in McPherson. The Lady Builders (4-18, 3-11 KCAC) have lost three in a row, including a 73-58 decision at Sterling Saturday afternoon. Tipoff from Stewart Field House in Winfield is slated for 6 p.m.
